Conundrum Shots
by Coopereid
Summary: Follows my 'Reid's Conundrum' series - oneshots as they come to me for Spencer and Derek's marriage and family.
1. Superstes

Author's Note: First one-shot in the post-Conundrum series. Superstes - where Spencer contemplates and gets his first tattoo, keeping it a secret from the team.

* * *

Spencer Reid had been through hell and back on multiple occasions, both on the job and in his personal life. He'd survived his father leaving, taking care of his mother, a drug addiction for a short amount of time, kidnappings, beatings, a hostage situation, being shot, and several inner demons. He'd finally found a place in his life where he was happily married with a child and wanted a way to show that he'd been through everything and survived it all.

Shortly before Spencer made his decision, he sat at the kitchen table with Derek, enjoying a cup of coffee. He was looking at the tattoos on Derek's bare arms, paying attention to every last detail.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Enjoying yourself, Pretty Boy?" he asked, taking a sip and setting his cup down.

Spencer snapped out of it, glancing up at him. "Just looking. Is the person who did those for you local?"

He glanced down at his tattoos. "Mhm, he lives a few blocks from my old apartment. Why, are you interested in one?"

He shrugged. "I'm curious more than anything. Did you know that the first documented tattoo artist in the United States was Martin Hildebrandt, who was a German immigrant in Boston in the year 1846, and he tattooed soldiers during the civil war?"

Derek laughed softly. "I do now."

Since they'd gotten married, Spencer had definitely cut down on his rambling, mainly because with Derek, he was in a comfort zone where he didn't feel the need to spurt random facts and fill voids in conversations. However, when the facts did slip, Derek enjoyed it, especially seeing how embarrassed Spencer would get.

"Did you also know that many tattoos can serve as rites of passage, marks of status or rank, symbols of religious devotion, pledges of love, or decorations of bravery, among other things?"

Derek cocked an eyebrow, looking across the table at his husband. "…You're thinking about getting a tattoo, aren't you?"

He shrugged. "I've been thinking about it. Like I said, tattoos can signify decorations of bravery, and I've been through a lot in my 32 years. What better way to show where I've been than something on my body to serve as a permanent reminder that yes, I've been through a lot, but I never have to go back there because I'm better than that?"

Derek grabbed the mugs, walking over to the coffee maker and refilling them. "What did you have in mind? Something everyone can see?"

Spencer shook his head. "No, not really. I'm not you – I can't pull off something taking up my entire bicep. I just want something small, right here." He unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it off of his left shoulder. He pointed to a small scar where he'd been shot on a case a while back.

He walked over, setting the coffee mugs on the table, putting the sugar dish beside Spencer. "You don't like your scar?"

He shrugged, putting in a few spoonfuls of sugar and stirring. "Well, the scar itself is a constant reminder of me being a survivor. Even though the vest was on at the time, had the bullet gone over a few inches, I probably wouldn't be here today."

"And trust me, I'm extremely grateful that the unsub had shitty aim."

Spencer smiled, running a finger over the scar. "It's just going to be a word. Nothing elaborate, and of course, not something everyone will get the chance to see."

"Are you going to tell anyone about this?"

He shrugged. "I don't see why my body art should be anybody else's business. I'll know it's there, you'll know it's there, our daughter will know it's there. Other than that, I fail to see a reason why anyone needs to know about it."

"Okay, I'll bite. What word?"

Spencer took a long sip of his coffee, setting the cup back down. "_Superstes._ It's the Latin translation of-"

"Superstar?" Derek guessed.

Spencer smiled, shaking his head. "Great guess, but no. _Superstes_ is the Latin translation of the word 'survivor'. I don't think there's any word out there more appropriate."

"When do you want to get this done?"

"The sooner the better, I guess. Can you call your artist and see when he has an opening?"

"Go wake the princess, I'll see if we can get in Saturday for our date night. I'll just need you to write down what you want it to say, because there's no way I can spell that. Also, I need ideas for fonts."

Spencer got up, opening a drawer in the kitchen and taking out a note pad. He grabbed a pen and wrote out the word, simply writing 'no comic sans' underneath it with several underlines. He handed the notepad to him and walked to Parker's room, picking her up. "Well, good morning to you, Princess."

She shook her head, burying it in his chest. "Early."

He laughed softly, kissing the top of her head. "I feel your pain."

* * *

That day at work, Spencer sat at his desk, going through the case files on his desk. He looked across his desk at Emily, whose pile was significantly larger than his.

"Once I reach the bottom of this, I'd be glad to take some of those off your hands," he offered, eyes still on his folder.

She smirked. "And that's why you're my hero, Reid. If I can still call you that – you are married now, after all."

He rolled his eyes. "It's still my last name, so yes, you can call me Reid. We already have a 'Morgan' on the team, and I really don't want to cause any confusion."

"Then Reid it is." She grabbed a chunk of folders, tossing them over to his desk. "Be my guest."

He added the folders to his pile as Derek walked over, leaning against his desk.

"Yes, dear?" he asked, setting his folder down.

He held one out to him. "That _case_ you wanted me to look at for you? They got back to me."

Spencer raised an eyebrow, but finally caught on. He grabbed it, opening it and looking through. He saw the word written out in different fonts and saw one that was perfect. He grabbed a highlighter off his desk, highlighting it and handing it back to him. "Thank you."

"Anytime, kid." He hit his shoulder with the folder, walking back to his office.

"What was that about?" Emily asked.

He had to think something up quickly. "I needed a second set of eyes on the case – I did it on Friday before we left, and my mind was more on picking Parker up than getting through the case file correctly."

"Right, I forgot how quickly you go into Daddy mode when it comes to her."

He nodded, grabbing one of her folders. "Just so you know? You and Morgan have yet to pay me back for reading all of those unsub's journals during the case in Tallahassee."

She rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, I hate your memory."

* * *

After they'd put Parker to bed that night, Spencer sat up in their bed, reading.

"Is Saturday afternoon okay with you?" Derek asked, pulling on his pajama pants and climbing on the bed beside him.

Spencer shrugged. "Saturday afternoon is fine. JJ offered to take her for the day so we can get an early date done and be 'that boring married couple that stays in'. Her words, not mine."

Derek shook his head. "If she realized even half the beast you are in this bed, she wouldn't be calling us the boring married couple."

He groaned, reaching over and covering his husband's mouth. "And she never _will_ realize."

"Stop leaving marks," he said, muffled against his hand.

Spencer smirked, glancing down at him. "Stop having bitable skin." Derek rolled his eyes, licking his hand. Spencer groaned, wiping the hand on the comforter. "I swear, sometimes it feels like _I'm_ the adult in this relationship."

Derek smirked. "But you love me anyway."

"Sometimes I wonder," he said, tucking his bookmark on his current page and setting the book on his nightstand, taking off his glasses.

"You do realize that tattoos hurt, right?"

"No, Derek, I thought that tattoos were licked on by kittens."

He smiled. "JJ made you watch Friends again, didn't she?"

"On the last case, yes she did. But of course I know that tattoos hurt. In case you've forgotten? I've been shot and hit multiple times on the job. I was shot in the leg and kept a conversation going. Not to mention I've also gone through labor before. Do you really think I'm going to let a tattoo get to me? It's not like it's going to be on a bone or anything. Yes, it's going to be over a scar so it's going to hurt to a certain extent, but the skin isn't raised enough for it to make a significant difference in the ink taking to the skin."

He raised an eyebrow. "Exactly how long did you research this?"

Spencer thought to himself. "I have been since right after Parker was born."

"And you're positive that's what you want, and it's the exact translation? I don't want you to get it and find out later that what you think is 'survivor' means 'turkey soup'."

"Are you really questioning me about the meaning of a word, Derek? _Really_?" He put his glasses on top of his book, turning off the light on his nightstand and curling closer, resting his head on his chest.

"Good point." He observed, leaning his head down and kissing his forehead. "Then I guess Saturday, I'll have not only taken your actual virginity, but your tattoo one as well."

Spencer scrunched up his face, hitting him on the chest. "Shut up."

* * *

Saturday morning, after they got Parker dressed, they dropped her off at JJ's.

"So," JJ started, picking up Parker and resting her on her hip, "what's in the game plan for you two today?"

Derek smirked. "The usual. Getting him tattooed."

Spencer's eyes widened, looking over at him.

"Funny, Derek," she said, swatting at his arm. "What are you _really_ doing, and is it safe for your daughter to hear?"

"It's perfectly fine for my daughter to hear that it's none of your business."

She glanced at Parker. "Do you know what they're doing?"

She nodded. "Too too."

JJ raised an eyebrow. "What's a too too?"

"Like Derek said. None of your business. When do you need us to pick her up?"

"Whenever, there's no rush. I might take her out shopping with me."

Parker's ears perked up at the word 'shopping'. "Yay!"

Spencer leaned over, kissing her forehead. "Have fun, Princess."

She nodded, blowing a kiss to both of them before they left.

In the car, Derek turned to Spencer. "Too too?"

"I never talked about tattoos in front of her, Derek. That only leaves one option – your big mouth."

Derek smirked. "You never had a problem with my big mouth bef-"

Spencer cupped a hand over his mouth. "Now I do. Lick it and you'll be on the couch."

* * *

When they pulled up to the tattoo parlor, Derek turned to him. "Now you're _sure_? You don't need to get a tattoo."

"I know I don't _need_ to. I want to - it's a homage to everything I've been through that shows me what I've been and what I've overcome. That's as good a reason as any to get one." He reached over, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Do you want me to hold your hand?"

Spencer rolled his eyes. "If you'd like me to hold your hand, I will." He got out of the car, following him inside. He had to say that the place wasn't what he expected. He'd expected to see something out of the movies that he watched with Derek, complete with bikers and pictures of different tattoo designs all over the walls. It was much cleaner and simpler. He sat down on the couch, flipping through one of the magazines, while Derek walked up to the desk.

"Pretty Boy, come on up here."

Spencer set down the magazine, getting up and walking over to the desk.

"You're right, Derek, your daughter looks just like him."

"Told you, she got it all from him."

Spencer cleared his throat. "Derek forgets how to do introductions. Not one of the reasons I married him."

Morgan chuckled, shaking his head. "Sorry, Pretty Boy. Tony, this is Spencer. Spencer, this is Tony – he's done all of my tattoos."

Spencer held out his hand, shaking the one held out to him. "Nice to meet you."

Tony grabbed the stencil, showing it to Spencer. "Derek was very specific about this – spelling, font, size, positioning, and color."

"It's perfect, thank you."

"If you're all set, come on back and let's get started."

Derek grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "You okay?"

Spencer rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Derek." They walked to the back room, where Spencer unbuttoned his shirt and sat back in the chair. Derek sat on his right side, taking his hand and lacing their fingers.

"I can't believe the great and pure Spencer Reid is getting a tattoo. It's kind of badass."

Spencer smirked. "I'm pretty sure that's the first time 'Spencer Reid' and 'badass' have been said in the same sentence."

Tony set the stencil on his shoulder, peeling off the backing. "How does that look, Spencer?"

He glanced down at his shoulder. "Fine by me and in just the right spot."

"Then let's get started."

* * *

After the gun turned on, Spencer hummed, leaning his head back. When the tattoo was started, he didn't even flinch.

"What are you feeling, Spencer?" Derek asked, squeezing his hand.

He resisted the urge to shrug his shoulders. "Not sure. It's just sort of an annoying buzzing more than anything. I pretty much pushed the pain aside and all that's getting to me is the sound."

"You're a lot more of a trooper than Derek. I've had him cry in this chair."

Spencer glanced over at him. "Oh?"

"That's enough," Derek said quickly, watching him finish the first layer of ink.

Spencer kept his eyes on the ceiling, humming to himself as it was finished up. He glanced down when he was told it was done. "That's it?"

Derek looked at him. "What did you think it was going to be like?"

"I'm not sure. The way people talk about their tattoos, I was expecting pain comparable to child birth. This was _nothing_ in comparison."

"It's going to sting for a few hours," Tony explained, putting the bandage over and taping it on. "Let the bandage stay on there for 2-3 hours, and be sure to pat it clean with a dampened cloth. Put on some healing ointment, and expect it to be irritated for the next day or so."

Spencer nodded, looking down at the bandage. "No problem." He froze, glancing over at Derek. "What do we tell Parker?"

"You're the genius, I'm sure you'll come up with something."

* * *

After they finished at the tattoo parlor, they'd gone out to lunch. Spencer checked his watch while they were on their way to JJ's and peeled the bandage off, wincing slightly.

"Everything okay over there?" Derek asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"You try ripping a bandage off of skin without it hurting in the slightest."

"So you're not in pain?"

Spencer shrugged. "I have a high pain tolerance, I didn't feel a thing."

"Seriously?"

"…Seriously."

When they arrived at JJ's, Spencer turned to Derek. "Not a word."

Derek sighed. "Fine, but she's practically your sister and reads you like a book. She's _going_ to find out."

"I'd rather later than sooner." He got out of the car, walking to the front door and knocking.

JJ opened it, looking at him. "Will just took Henry and Parker up to the park. Do you want to go get her there or wait?"

Spencer thought to himself. "I'm fine waiting here."

She held the door open, allowing them to walk inside.

They sat on the couch and JJ raised an eyebrow. "What did you do to your shoulder, Spence?"

"What?" He looked down and saw he hadn't fully buttoned his shirt up, leaving part of the reddened skin on his shoulder exposed. "That? It's the scar from getting shot, it's nothing."

She leaned forward. "Spence, in case you forgot, I've seen the scar before. That's not it."

He turned to Derek. "Busted?"

"_So_ busted."

He sighed, turning back to JJ. "Not a word to the rest of the team, promise?"

She held up her hand. "Promise."

He unbuttoned his shirt, letting it slide down his arms. She looked at his shoulder and gasped. "Spencer Reid has a _tattoo_?!"

He blushed. "It's not that big of a deal."

"_Superstes?_ What does that mean, superstar?"

"No, I didn't get the word superst- does _nobody_ know Latin?!" He saw the confused look on JJ's face and the amused one on Derek's. "Why would I get _superstar_ tattooed on me? How is that logical?"

"Okay then, smarty pants, what does it mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's the Latin word for survivor."

She raised an eyebrow. "How fitting."

He glanced over at Derek. "See? _She_ understands."

"Did it hurt?" she asked, taking the seat beside him to get a better look at it.

"He didn't even _flinch_," Derek explained. "Just sat there the entire time."

"What can I say? I don't really process pain." He put his shirt back on, buttoning it.

"Consider yourself lucky, Spence. I'm sure Derek wishes he could say the same for his body art."

* * *

When they got home, Derek started dinner while Spencer went to the bathroom to clean up his shoulder. He looked down on the sink and saw that Derek had picked up healing cream for him – he'd have to thank him for that later. He grabbed a clean cloth and soaked it with warm water, patting his shoulder lightly and wincing.

Derek knocked on the door. "Everything okay in there?"

Spencer bit his lip, closing his eyes. "Yeah, everything's fine. The healing process is definitely worse than the actual act."

"I guess you could say the same about-"

"Derek Morgan, do not finish that sentence. I don't want to hear about sex with you, hangovers, pregnancy, or anything else going on in that perverted mind of yours. Our daughter is in the house and the last thing I need is her asking what something you say means."

He smirked. "So that means you don't want to do anything tonight?"

Spencer opened the door, glaring at him. "That means get in here and put healing cream on my shoulder, or spend the night on the couch."

Derek shook his head, walking in and closing the door.

"Where's Parker?"

"She's down for a nap in her room." He motioned toward the baby monitor clipped to his belt. "We'll know if she gets up."

Spencer nodded, grabbing the tube off the counter and handing it to him. He looked at Spencer's shoulder, where the skin was bright red. He opened the tube, putting some of the cream on his fingers.

"You know, I didn't think you could get any sexier, then you got that on your shoulder."

Spencer smiled slightly as he rubbed the cream on. "Yes, because who doesn't find a beanpole whose shoulder looks like a mild sunburn the most attractive thing on the face of the earth?"

Derek washed his hands, drying them off. He then hooked a finger under Spencer's chin, looking him in the eyes.

"Yes, dear?" Spencer asked.

"I happen to find you _very_ attractive." He leaned in, kissing his cheek. "And I never want to hear you say anything bad about yourself again."

"But-"

"But _nothing_."

Spencer sighed. "Fine. It's your turn to choose date night, what are we doing?"

"After dinner? A movie and then maybe some dessert later in the night."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Dessert? But, Derek, you can't bake. The one time you attempted, I had to take out the fire extinguisher. Besides, we shouldn't be eating so late at night-"

Derek shook his head, kissing him softly. "Not _that_ kind of dessert."

Spencer thought to himself. "Not that kind of," he saw the look that Derek was giving him. "OH. Derek, our daughter is in the house!"

"She'll be asleep, and we'll be quiet, or at least I will be."

Spencer smirked, hitting his arm. "I can stay quiet just fine, thank you."

* * *

After they'd put Parker to bed, Spencer laid on Derek's side of the bed, considering he couldn't sleep on his left side without worrying about his shoulder. He turned to Derek, tracing the tattoo on his arm.

"What's the story behind yours?" he asked, looking up into his eyes.

"Hm?"

"You know the meaning behind mine. What about yours?"

"Well," he started, "there's one recent one that means more than anything."

"Oh?"

He sat up, pulling off his shirt and showing him his side. On his left side, right above his hips, was a tattoo that Spencer hadn't noticed before. He smirked, tracing it with his finger. It was Parker's name, arched above her newborn footprint, with July 6, 2011 written underneath.

"When did you get this?" he asked, tracing the footprint. "And why here?"

Derek smirked. "A few months ago and because, I know one day we'll have another kid, so I have the other side free for theirs to match hers."

Spencer bit his lip. "Derek, we've been trying for a couple months and nothing's happened-"

"And knowing how determined you are, it's going to happen. And after it does, and he or she makes an appearance, they're going to be right here," he explained, pointing to his other side. "But if it's twins-"

"Bite your tongue!" Spencer said, hitting his arm. "My body would cave in at the pressure of carrying around two kids! I barely made it through carrying _one_ without breaking in half."

Derek laughed softly, cutting off his rant by kissing him, running a hand through his hair.

A minute later, Spencer pulled back, slightly hazy. "…. So, what was I saying?"

"And just like that," Derek said, snapping his fingers, "the IQ drops."

Spencer blushed, biting his lip. "You're the only person on this planet with the ability to do that."

"Well, now I know I was put on this earth to drive you crazy."

"You're lucky I love you."

"Am I?"

"Mhm." He leaned in, kissing his neck softly, nipping at it. "I really hope you plan on any neck tattoos, because I have way too much fun with it."

Derek bit his lip, unable to contain himself and moaning softly.

"Now who's the loud one?" Spencer whispered, kissing the bite marks.

"You're going to be the _death_ of me, Spencer Reid."

Spencer smirked. "And don't you forget it."

* * *

At work on Monday morning, Spencer sat at his desk and tried not to make his secret obvious. He also attempted to ignore the constant itching on his shoulder, and it wasn't going very well. He tried shrugging, he tried rolling his shoulder, and he tried simply ignoring it: none of the methods were proving to be effective.

When most of the team had left for lunch, he dug through his bag, taking out the tube of cream and shoving it into his pocket.

"I saw that!" Garcia said, walking over to his desk.

He winced, turning around in his chair to face her. "Saw what?"

"You think you can hide something from _me_, Spencer Reid? For shame. Don't think I didn't see that move."

He raised an eyebrow. "Move?"

"You going through your bag? I saw you!"

"Saw me?"

"Honey, did you fall and hit your head? I _saw_ you dig through your bag and I _saw_ new pictures of your adorable daughter that you have yet to share. Now give them to me and nobody gets hurt." She held out her hand, waiting.

He exhaled, relieved. "I can't get anything past you, Garcia." He opened his bag back up, taking out the stack of photos and handing it to her.

"That you can't." She leaned against his desk, flipping through the pictures. She smirked, showing one of her covered in finger paint. "Can I have this one?"

"All yours. There's also one in there that she calls herself 'Penny' in. She attempted to dress herself just like you and… you just have to see it."

She flipped through the pictures and found the one in question. "O.M.G. I love her more. I didn't know it was possible, but I totally love her so much more than I already did. She's so perfect!"

He smirked. "I'm glad you love her so much. Be sure to share those with JJ, she's been begging me for new pictures."

"I'm on my way to meet her for lunch now, and I will do, 187." She stuffed the pictures into her purse and walked out.

Once he saw the coast was finally clear, he walked to the bathroom, setting the cream on the counter and unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it off of his shoulder and wincing. He unscrewed the cap, putting some of it on his finger and rubbing it onto the skin. He'd expected the tattoo itself to hurt and the aftermath to be painless, but got the exact opposite.

"That's henna, right?"

He jumped slightly, closing the cap and looking over at Rossi. "Excuse me?"

"Your shoulder. I've known you for five years, kid, you're definitely not the type to be getting a tattoo."

He shrugged, patting some of the cream off and washing his hands. "I'm not the type for a lot of the things I've overcome."

Rossi raised an eyebrow, walking over and looking at his shoulder. "_Superstes_ – survivor? Well that's… fitting."

"You're the first person who actually understood what it meant. Derek and JJ guessed 'superstar'." He buttoned up his shirt, fixing his tie.

"Not everyone can read Latin, Reid."

He smiled slightly. "Guess not. Listen, can you… not tell anybody? I really don't want to make a big deal about it."

"Well, if someone comes up to me and asks 'have you seen Spencer Reid's naked shoulder and does it have something on it?' I'm not sure I can lie my way out of that one."

He smirked. "Thank you." He shoved the tube back in his pocket, walking back to his desk.

* * *

It wasn't until a few years later that the rest of the team found out about his tattoo. Garcia had found out about its existence the previous year and had been hounding everybody nonstop about it, but nobody would cave. The summer after Spencer and Derek's son was born, they'd put a pool in the backyard. Derek invited everyone over for a pool party for Parker's birthday to break it in.

Spencer paced in their bedroom, playing with the hem of his shirt.

Derek walked in. "Everything okay?"

Spencer bit his lip. "Maybe I shouldn't go out there."

"Pretty Boy, you're a fish out of water. That's _why_ we paid all that money to get a pool in the yard. You're telling me you're not going to use it?"

"I-I don't want people to see-"

"To see what, your tattoo? They're not going to judge you for it. It has meaning. It's not just a drunken mistake or anything."

He sighed. "No, I don't regret the tattoo. It's the scars I have a problem with."

"The scars?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow. When he realized what he meant, he sighed. Spencer wasn't ashamed of his tattoo at all: he was ashamed of the marks on his bicep, where he'd injected himself with Dilaudid. "Spencer-"

"I just… I don't want any of them to think I'm weak."

"They won't. They know you haven't done it in what, eight years now?" Spencer nodded. "And they know you're not going to relapse. We all have our scars from the job, and nobody's going to judge you for them."

He paced the room one last time before grabbing the bottom of his shirt, pulling it off. "One word and it goes back on."

"Deal." He wrapped an arm around his back, walking to the back yard.

* * *

"Daddy!" Parker yelled, running over.

He bent down, picking her up. "Well, hello there. Have you been in the water yet?"

She shook her head. "We waited for you!"

He rested her against his hip. "So Aunt JJ put on your floaties?"

"Uh huh!" she held up her arms. "So I can float!"

"Good." He kissed her forehead, walking over to the pool and sitting on the steps.

Meanwhile, Morgan changed Benjamin into a swimming diaper and sat beside Spencer, setting Ben in a float. Once he got used to the water, Spencer set Parker in the shallow end. "Don't past the blue line, okay? Don't go in the deep end."

She nodded. "I promise."

JJ looked at Henry. "You too, buddy."

Henry saluted her before jumping in himself.

Spencer smirked, grabbing the front of Ben's float and dragging him around in the water.

"Sure you're ready for everyone to see that ink, Spence?" JJ said, motioning toward his shoulder.

He shrugged. "Now or never." He leaned down in the water, starting a game of peek-a-boo with Ben while tiptoeing along the bottom.

* * *

After everyone arrived, Spencer kept himself under the water, even after Derek had taken Benjamin out for a nap. Finally, he looked over at Parker. "Should Daddy let everyone see his too-too?"

She nodded. "Be a big boy, Daddy."

He smiled slightly, kissing her forehead. "Derek, grab me a towel?"

Derek waited at the ladder for him, towel in hand. Getting out, he quickly dried his arms off and wrapped it around his waist.

JJ smiled, looking at Parker. "I bet if we race to the ladder, you can beat me."

Parker nodded. "Okay!"

Spencer leaned back on his chair, watching as JJ 'raced' Parker and Parker made it to the steps first. He smirked when she started doing a victory lap and laid his chair back to dry off.

"Reid, did you let Parker draw on you again?" Hotch asked, pointing to his shoulder.

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "No, why-" he then realized what he was motioning toward. "Oh, that? It's a tattoo."

Garcia dropped her bag. "It's finally revealed?!"

Spencer sat up. "Go on, take it in."

Emily, Garcia, and Hotch all got a look at this shoulder.

"_Superstes_," Garcia stated, contemplating its meaning.

"It's Latin," Emily started. "It's 'survivor' in Latin."

Spencer reached over, wrapping a hand around his right forearm, hoping none of them would take notice of his scars. Luckily, they were all hooked on the idea of Spencer Reid having a tattoo.

"Of everyone on the team, I never would've guessed," Hotch said, putting his sunglasses back on.

"Isn't that where-"

"I got shot in the shoulder while pregnant? Yes." He pointed beneath the 'rs', where he could still see the scar.

"Daddy got shot!?" Parker yelled, shivering.

JJ picked her up. "Let's go, purple lips, out of the pool."

"When did Daddy get shot?!"

Derek wrapped her in a towel, picking her up. "While you were still in him. One of the villains hurt Daddy when he was trying to save some princes and princesses."

She gasped. "That's not nice."

"And that's why the villain is going to spend the rest of his life in the dungeon." He rubbed her arms, trying to warm her up, and set her on one of the chairs to dry off.

Garcia reached down, tracing the tattoo with her finger. "I have to admit, 187, that's pretty badass." She glanced over at Parker. "Never repeat that word."

Parker held out her hand. "Bad word. One dollar."

"House rules, Baby Girl," Morgan said, laughing softly.

"Hit me up later," she said, turning to look back at Spencer's shoulder. "Did you get this done on a vacation or something? There is _no_ way you kept this hidden."

"In case you've forgotten, Garcia, he hid half of his first pregnancy from us. I'm pretty sure he'd be able to hide a little ink."

Spencer smirked. "I'm just that good."

A while later, he leaned back on his chair, looking at Derek's side. As promised, he had gotten a tattoo on his right side for Benjamin to match the one on his left side for Parker. He then looked down at his shoulder – he'd survived a lot of things alone, but now with a husband, two kids, and his extended family, he never had to again.


	2. Che Cazzo

**Summary:** Ben learns some Italian from his godfather, though it's not the type of things Spencer wants to hear.

* * *

Making dinner together as a family had become a habit of theirs once Parker and Benjamin were old enough to appreciate it. Considering how often they were called away on work and needed to spend time with their Aunt Penny or Uncle Will, they didn't mind it one bit. Of course, they'd gotten cooking lessons from their Uncle Dave, and Spencer intently took notes.

One night, they were cooking spaghetti while Ben was straightening up his room.

"Little man, if you don't hurry up, Parker's going to have all the fun," Derek called, grabbing the box from the cabinet and setting it on the counter.

"Coming!" he called out. They could hear his closet door opening and everything currently on his floor being thrown inside.

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Nice, Derek. _You're_ the one who's going to have to go in there and clean that out with him later, because it's your fault."

Derek put up his hands. "Fine." He checked the pot and took off the lid. Grabbing the box of pasta, he opened it, handing its contents to Parker. "Can you break those in half and throw them inside?"

She gave him a nod, climbing on the step stool and splitting the pasta before dropping it into the water.

"Careful!" Spencer said, wincing.

Parker held up her hands. "See Daddy? No burns."

"Yeah, Daddy, no burns," Derek added.

Spencer pointed a finger at him. "Watch it."

Derek checked the watch. "Benjamin Allen Morgan, ten minutes until dinner. Do you want to come stir the sauce or not?"

"Coming!" he called again, slamming the closet door shut and running out.

"No running in the house!" Spencer warned.

He slowed his run to a jog, but tripped over one of Clooney's bones when he wasn't looking.

Spencer set down his stirrer, rushing over to him. "You okay, Ben?" he asked, reaching down and checking the knee he was clutching.

Ben nodded, rubbing his knee and wincing. "Che cazzo, Clooney!"

Derek and Parker laughed it off, while Spencer's eyes widened. "Derek, call Rossi."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "What, why?"

"Derek Morgan, call David Rossi _now_!" he picked up Ben, sitting him on the counter and rolling up his pant leg, checking his knee. He cleaned off a rag and wiped off his knee, sighing. "No blood, buddy, think you'll survive?" When Ben gave him a thumbs up, he turned to Derek. "Phone call?"

"On it." He grabbed the phone, dialing Rossi's number and handing the stirrer to Parker. "Watch the sauce."

She saluted him while Derek turned to Spencer. "What am I saying, exactly?"

Rossi answered the phone. "Yes, Derek?"

"Yeah, hi, Spencer said I needed to call, and-"

Spencer reached over, yanking the phone out of Derek's hand. "I'm sure there's a very good reason my son just swore very loudly in Italian. Last I checked, neither Derek nor I are fluent in it, and the only babysitter he has who actively speaks it is on the phone with me right now."

Rossi gave a chuckle, shaking his head. "What did he say?"

"I don't see how that's prudent to the conversation, but my son decided after tripping over one of Clooney's bones on the floor, he needed to yell 'che cazzo, Clooney' at the top of his lungs – Dave, stop laughing, this isn't funny!"

"Last time I watched him, I watched my language. Are you sure it wasn't his Aunt Emily?"

Spencer put his hand over the phone. "Benjamin, where did you hear that saying?"

"Uncle Dave!"

Spencer moved his hand. "You apparently didn't buy his silence very well."

"I guess I'll have to go with cash next time." Spencer heard the amusement in his voice and groaned. "From now on if I have him, I'll make sure he's in bed before I say anything."

"I heard it too!" Parker chimed in.

Spencer sighed. "_Really_? You said it in front of both of them?"

Spencer knew he gave him a shrug. "How was I to know your kids have the hearing of a bat?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "All children do. They find words they're not supposed to say, they store them for later use, and they shout them when they feel appropriate."

"Put the little guy on, I'll fix this."

"You'd better, or I'm going to start teaching him some Italian to use." He handed the phone to Ben, walking over to set the table.

"Yeah. Uh huh. Uh huh. Okay, Uncle Dave!" He held the phone back out to Spencer. "It's for you, Daddy."

Spencer took the phone back, resting it against his shoulder as he set the table. "Are we done with my son swearing at me in foreign languages?"

"Should be. Sorry about that, Reid."

"Don't let it happen again."

"Trust me, having seen you pissed off, I won't."

He hung up the phone, setting it on the table and sighing. "Dinner almost ready, Derek?"

"Mhm."

Ben pouted. "But I wanted to help!"

Spencer thought quickly. "How about since Parker and Papa did spaghetti tonight, you and I will take care of taco night tomorrow?"

Ben considered it and nodded. "Okay!"

He picked him up off the counter, setting him in his chair at the table.

After dinner, they were in the backyard. Spencer and Derek were relaxing in a hammock while Parker and Ben were playing on their swing set.

Derek wrapped an arm around him. "He really swore in front of him in Italian?"

Spencer nodded against his shoulder. "Our son legitimately shouted 'what the fuck' to your dog," he mumbled.

Derek smirked, shaking his head. "He's heard worse over the years, believe me."

Spencer shrugged, looking over at them. "Children and parrots have something in common. They start saying what they shouldn't when you don't want them to."

He rolled his eyes, rubbing Spencer's arm. "This one, I'm sure, was unintentional. The next one, however? We'll punish him for."

He nodded in agreement, nuzzling against his neck.

"No fair!" Parker shouted.

Spencer groaned. "Your turn."

Derek turned to face her. "What's wrong, Princess?"

"Uncle Dave said he'd give Ben $50 to not say that word again!"

Spencer shook his head, looking up at Derek. "This phone call's all yours."


	3. Accidents Happen

**Summary:** Parker gets injured at gymnastics practice and Spencer blames himself, while Derek comes home from a case with the team to see her. When the injury seems to last longer than it should, Spencer worries that something else could be wrong and coddles her, while Derek thinks it's just a case of missing her parents.

* * *

Spencer sighed, pacing with his phone to his ear. He bit down on his lip and fought back tears as he got Derek's voicemail. "Derek, it's me. Parker got hurt at gymnastics and she's at the hospital. Please call me back as soon as you get this message." He exhaled, hanging up and putting the phone in his pocket, sitting beside Parker's bed.

Meanwhile, Garcia was watching Ben, attempting to get in touch with somebody on the team. Once Ben was down for his nap, she dialed Hotch's number.

"Garcia, what do you have for me?"

She bit her lip. "Sir, I need to get in touch with Derek as soon as possible."

He raised an eyebrow. "Did you find out where the unsub-"

"No, sir, I didn't. I need to talk to Derek immediately." She turned on the baby monitors and walked out of the nursery, closing the door behind her. "It's an emergency."

"He's currently interviewing an inmate. There's no cell service."

"Then I need to request that you get him, have him call me, and have him on the first flight home."

"What happened?"

She sighed. "I was working on seeing if the victims had any connections that could possibly lead to the unsub when I got a phone call from Reid. There was some sort of accident at gymnastics practice and he had to take her to the hospital. I don't know what's wrong, I just know he's freaking out."

He checked his watch. "I'm going to pick him up now, can you set up a ticket to DC that leaves in the next half hour?"

He heard her typing. "There's a flight in 25 minutes, he can be here in an hour."

"Reserve his ticket, he'll be there." Hotch hung up the phone, grabbing the keys to the SUV off the table.

JJ looked up at him. "What's up?"

He pulled on his jacket. "Parker's in the hospital and Derek needs to get home. I don't have any details, I'll keep you updated." Without another word, he ran out, getting into the car and driving.

Derek walked out of the interrogation room, raising an eyebrow at Hotch. "Did Reid and Garcia find something?"

He shook his head, holding out a paper to him, as well as the keys to the SUV. "Your flight leaves in 20 minutes. Get home."

"…I'm not following?"

"Garcia's keeping an eye on Ben while Spencer's at the hospital with Parker."

His eyes widened. "What happened?"

"Spencer was at practice with her, something happened, and she's in the hospital. If you hurry, you can get to the airport just in time and be back in DC in an hour."

He took the papers, stuffing them into his pocket and grabbed the keys, running out.

* * *

Derek ran into the hospital, straight to the front desk. He hit his hand on the desk. "Hello? Excuse me?"

One of the nurses looked up at him. "Yes, sir?"

He exhaled, attempting to catch his breath. "I'm – my name is Derek Morgan, my husband admitted my daughter, Parker Morgan. Where is she?"

She typed on her computer, much too slow for Derek's liking. Finally, she looked up at him. "She's up in pediatrics, room 19."

He gave a quick thank you before taking off up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

He walked into the room, looking over at Spencer. Once he noticed his presence, he shot up from his chair, walking over and wrapping his arms around him, burying his head in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

Derek sighed, rubbing his back. "Accidents happen, Spencer. We can't prevent them." He swallowed, reaching up and running a hand through his hair. "What happened?"

Spencer took a deep breath. "She… she was on the balance beam, and she tried doing a somersault, but she hit her head against the beam." He paused, sobbing. "She just… she fell on the floor. I watched it happen in slow motion and I-I ran in, and I drove her here. Speaking of, I'm sorry, I took your car and you're going to have a $250 speeding ticket."

"It's fine," he whispered, attempting to calm him down. "What did the doctor say?"

He exhaled. "Nothing showed up on the x-rays as broken, and the MRI came back negative, as did the CT scan, so we're thankful for that. He said her body shut down as a reaction to the pain. She'll be sore for a few days, we need to watch for signs of a serious concussion, and keep her from school until her doctor clears her to go back." He looked up at him, tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry I let this happen."

Derek shook his head, pulling him in for a hug. "This isn't your fault. Where's Ben?"

He reached up, wiping his eyes. "Garcia's keeping an eye on him at the house." He sniffed. "I shouldn't have let her take gymnastics. It's too dangerous-"

"The other sport she wanted to take up was t-ball. Trust me, gymnastics was the safe bet."

Spencer sat on the bed, exhaling and running a hand through Parker's hair.

Derek sat on her other side, sighing. "Garcia says she has no problem keeping an eye on Ben until we get home with her."

"Your mom's going to hate me," Spencer whispered. "I let her grandbaby get hurt."

Derek looked up at him. "Did you know this morning when you were driving her to practice that she'd hit her head and be knocked unconscious?"

"What? Of course not, how can I predict that?"

"Then _stop_ blaming yourself."

A while later, Parker started stirring. Spencer reached over, hitting Derek's arm. "She's waking up."

Derek sat up straight, keeping an eye on her. When her eyes opened and immediately squinted, whimpering, he smiled. "Hey there, Princess."

She blinked a few times before she registered her surroundings. "Papa?"

Spencer smiled slightly, running a hand through her hair. "Papa came home early to see you."

She whimpered again, resting a hand on the top of her head. "Ow."

Derek moved her hand and saw a bump. "Daddy and Papa will get some ice for that once you get home."

* * *

After the doctor checked her over, he decided to discharge her, but made them promise they'd bring her back if any issues turned up. Before Derek could move, Spencer picked her up, and smiled to himself when she curled up against his chest. He followed Derek out to the car and got into the backseat with her, buckling her in. Once they were home, Spencer picked her up again, walking inside and to their bedroom, tucking her in.

"Do you want Clooney to come keep you company, Princess?" he asked softly, pushing her hair back.

She shook her head slightly, patting the spot beside her. "You."

With a slight smile, he kicked off his shoes, climbing on the bed and lying down beside her.

She yawned, curling closer to him, resting her head against his chest.

* * *

Garcia walked out to the kitchen, where Derek was filling up an ice pack. "How's she doing?"

He sighed. "She's a trooper. Whacked her head against the balance beam and passed out cold, but she hasn't cried once." He screwed on the cap. "Doctor says she's going to have a pretty nasty bump on her head for a while, and she can't go back to school until he clears her."

"Oh, she's going to hate that."

He smirked. "I'm sure Spencer will find a way to give her a fix. He's not going back to work until she's cleared."

"Doesn't surprise me." She handed him the baby monitor. "Macchiato is down for a nap, should be up within the hour. He already had lunch, but he'll probably be looking for his snack."

"You're the greatest, Baby Girl," he said, kissing her forehead.

He grabbed the ice pack off the counter before walking to their bedroom, pushing the door open slightly. He saw Spencer fast asleep, his arm wrapped around Parker.

Garcia gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. "That has to be the cutest thing ever."

He walked over, grabbing the blanket at the foot of their bed and pulling it over them. He then rested the ice pack on the top of her head, kissed her forehead and walked out, flicking the light off.

Garcia looked at him. "What size is she?"

"Penelope-" he started.

She held up a finger to him. "Nuh uh. My little niece is hurt and she needs a pick-me-up in the form of an Aunt Penny gift basket. What size is she?"

"With her latest growth spurt, she's a small."

She kissed his cheek. "Expect a present on your doorstep tomorrow morning. Will I see you at work tomorrow?"

He shook his head. "We need to keep an eye on her the first 24 hours, to be sure nothing serious is going on." He heard Ben whining on the monitor. "I've got to check on him. Just don't go _too_ overboard?"

"We'll see."

* * *

Parker spent that night in bed with her fathers, and neither of them minded it one bit. She woke up a few times, whimpering. Before Spencer could even move to get up, Derek was in the kitchen, filling up an ice pack and grabbing her medicine. After taking her medicine, she'd curl up against Spencer and fall asleep. He smiled to himself, kissing her forehead and humming.

"How's Ben?" Spencer asked softly, careful not to wake her.

"He's down for the night," he started, leaning over and looking at the alarm clock, "and should be up in the next couple of hours."

"Do you mind taking tonight? I don't want her waking up and not having me here."

He nodded slightly, rubbing her back. "No problem."

When Ben woke up, Derek walked to his room, and after a quick diaper change, picked him up and went out to the kitchen. "We need to be _really_ quiet today, okay buddy? Your sister has a really bad headache and needs you to be super quiet." He set him in his high chair, grabbing the cereal and pouring it onto the tray. Ben held a piece up to him and he smiled to himself, taking it and eating it. "Thank you. You're going to stay home with Daddy and Papa today, how's that sound?"

This was answered by a squeal and a clap. Derek smirked. "Sounds good to me too."

Spencer walked out to the kitchen shortly after, a half asleep Parker in his arms.

"What's up?" Derek asked.

He sat down, setting her in her own chair. "She woke up and she wants pancakes."

Derek looked over at her. "Is that true, Princess?"

She nodded slightly. "Please."

He then turned to Spencer. "And let me guess, Daddy wants coffee?"

"If you know what's good for you."

* * *

After breakfast, Spencer sat in the living room with Parker, watching movies. He idly ran a hand through her hair, keeping an eye on the TV.

"Daddy?" she mumbled, resting her head in his lap.

"What is it, Princess?"

"Love you," she said softly, pulling her blanket up over herself.

He smirked. "I love you too."

Derek walked in, setting Ben on the floor and letting him make his way around. "What are we watching?"

Parker pointed to the TV, yawning. "Dalmatians."

"Is it okay if Ben and I watch too?"

She nodded slightly, curling closer to Spencer as Derek sat down on the couch.

When there was a knock on the door, both Spencer and Parker turned to look at Derek.

"It's for you, Papa," Parker mumbled, pulling the blanket over her head.

"Is that so?"

She gave him a nod before burrowing closer to Spencer. "Go."

He looked up at Spencer for a response, who simply shook his head. "You heard her. Go."

Ben giggled. "Go!"

"Oh, so it's three to one?" He got off the couch, walking over and checking the window. Seeing Garcia standing there with a gift basket and several bags, he sighed, holding it open. "Come on in, Baby Girl."

She walked inside. "Where's the patient?"

He pointed to the living room. "On the couch with Daddy."

She walked inside, closing the door behind her and squatting down beside Ben.

"Well, hello there, buddy." She grabbed one of the bags she was holding onto, setting it beside him. "I think you'll like this."

Derek sat down next to him, pulling him into his lap and opening the bag. "What did Aunt Penny get you?" He reached in, pulling out the tissue paper and handing it to Ben. "Aunt Penny enjoys gift wrapping _way_ too much."

"It's a sickness."

He smiled, shaking his head and reaching in the bag, taking out a pillow pet and handing it to him. "It's a puppy! What does the puppy say?"

Ben glanced up at him, shrugging, before reaching out and grabbing the stuffed animal, clinging to it.

He laughed softly. "I think that means 'thank you, Aunt Penny'."

"My pleasure." She leaned over, kissing his forehead softly before getting up, walking over to the couch. She sat beside Parker, rubbing her back. "How are you feeling, Princess?"

Parker reached up, resting a hand on the bump. "Owwie."

She pouted. "I bet. But you know what?"

She shook her head slightly. "What?"

"I called Aunt Emmy and JJ last night, because they're still at work, and we talked about your boo-boo, and we decided that you needed a few presents to cheer up. What do you think?"

She sat up, pulling the blanket over herself and nodding.

Derek walked in, setting Ben in his walker and handing an ice pack to Parker. She set it on the top of her head and whimpered softly at the cold. "I know," he said, patting her leg. "It's no fun being hurt. Daddy knows all about being hurt on the job."

Spencer looked up at him with a slight glare. "I've never had a head injury, _Derek_. Watch it."

"They do this a lot, huh?" Garcia asked, turning to Parker.

"Uh huh. They kiss after. It's gross."

She laughed. "Oh, I'll bet." She set the gift basket down on the table. "I'd say this is a gift basket fit for a princess."

Parker's eyes widened, nodding. "Uh huh!"

Spencer kissed her forehead before patting her back. "Go ahead."

She sat up, moving closer to Garcia, who quickly pulled the cellophane wrapping off the basket and handed it to Derek.

Parker gasped, looking through the different gifts. Not only were there new coloring books and crayons to keep her occupied while she was out of school, but there were also new clothes in bright neon colors, hair accessories, movies, cookies, and chapter books. She leaned over, hugging Garcia as tightly as she could. "Thank you, Penny!"

She smiled. "Anytime, Princess. Just don't go hurting yourself again, okay? Your Daddy's given me more than enough things to worry about over the years."

Parker thought about it, and quickly held up her pinky. "Promise I'm not Daddy."

Garcia laughed, wrapping her pinky around Parker's. "Good, take after Papa. He almost never gets hurt on the job."

Spencer mimicked her, picking up Ben. "Parker, is it okay if you stay out here with Papa and Penny while I go change Ben?"

She seemed to consider it, but nodded. "Okay."

He kissed her forehead before getting up, walking to the nursery.

* * *

Garcia cupped her hands over Parker's ears. "How badly is he beating himself up over this?"

Derek raised his eyebrows, exhaling. "He seems to think he could've somehow prevented it since he was there when it happened. He hasn't left her side since we got home from the hospital last night, but she hasn't wanted to be separated from him for too long either."

"Well, yeah, I'd be doing the same thing if this happened to me when I was four."

"Four and a _half_." They both looked down as Parker glanced up at them. "I know you're talking about me."

Garcia smirked, taking her hands off her ears and kissing her forehead. "Sorry, Princess. Boring grown-up talk, I figured you didn't want to hear." She took notice of the bump on her head and winced. "How'd you get your boo-boo?"

"I tried a roll and fell." She pointed to the bump and the bruising around it. "Hit the beam."

"Does it hurt, sweetie?"

"When I need medicine."

"You're a trooper, aren't you, kiddo?"

"Uh huh."

"Good, stay that way. With your Daddy as a parent, you're going to need to be."

"I heard that," Spencer said, walking in and setting Ben in his walker again.

After a quick glance at the clock, Garcia pouted. "I've got to get going to work. Those villains don't catch themselves."

Parker leaned over, wrapping her arms around Garcia. "Thank you."

"No problem. How about once you're better, I see if Daddy and Papa will let you and Benny stay with me for the day? We can bake and do crafts and go _shopping_."

She gasped, turning to Derek. "Papa _please_."

He smirked. "We'll see."

Garcia said her goodbyes and grabbed her purse, walking out.

Derek turned to Spencer. "You know, Pretty Boy, we need to do the grocery shopping. I can keep an eye on them while you go-"

"No!" Parker protested, wrapping her arms around Spencer's waist. "I need Daddy."

Spencer reached down, running a hand through her hair, shh-ing her. "It's okay, Princess. Daddy's not going anywhere."

Derek sighed. "Do you want me to take Ben with me while I go?"

"Can you?"

"No problem." After packing a diaper bag, he walked out to the living room, standing beside the couch. "If you have any requests, just send me a text."

He nodded, wrapping his arm around Derek's neck and pulling him down for a kiss.

Parker wrinkled her nose, covering her eyes. "Gross."

Spencer smiled, pulling back and winking at Derek, who kissed Parker's forehead. "How about Papa picks up some macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight?"

She nodded, snuggling up against Spencer and pulling the blanket over herself. Derek picked up Ben, putting on his jacket and hat. Once he let Spencer and Parker say their goodbyes, he walked out, leaving the two of them to their movie marathon.

* * *

After dinner, Spencer took care of their baths while Derek was on the phone with Hotch.

"How's she doing?"

He opened the back door, letting Clooney outside and following him out. "She hasn't cried, and only complains about it when she needs her meds. She's _really_ clinging to Spencer right now."

"I can imagine. When Jack twisted his ankle at soccer while Jessica was watching him, I came home and he wouldn't let me go into work for three days. Unfortunately, this job does take its toll on the kids too."

He sighed, leaning against the railing on the porch. "What am I supposed to do? He asks her permission to leave the room, and she doesn't let him run errands."

"Is he blaming himself?"

"Worse than ever. I don't know why, though. He was there when it happened, and there's nothing he could've done to prevent it-"

"That could be it. He feels that since he was there when it happened, he should've been able to keep her safe. What did the doctor say?"

"She's going to have a nasty bump and need to miss school for the rest of the week, but there's no damage as far as they can tell. I have to say though, I'm worried about her. I understand that with the job, we leave her for different lengths of time, but I figured she'd be used to it by now and be helping her brother with it."

"Jack's almost nine, and he's still not used to it. When they start acting up, you just have to remind them that you'll always come home, and when you are home with them, make the most of the time."

He whistled, getting Clooney's attention and opening the door, walking inside. "Are you guys still on the case?"

"We're coming back tomorrow morning. I take it Garcia has already spoiled her?"

He laughed softly. "Oh, yes. She got a gift basket twice her size, and she didn't forget about Ben either." He raised an eyebrow, looking over at the bathroom. "Spencer, do you need help in there?"

"I've got it – Ben, don't throw the rubber duck at your sister!"

Hotch laughed. "Sounds like you've got your hands full, I'll let you go-"

"Wait, just a quick question."

"Go for it."

"…Should I be letting her sleep in our bed? Spencer's insisting on it, but-"

"If it's what he needs to deal with what happened, I wouldn't say no. But if it exceeds a few days, that's when you need to put your foot down."

"Thanks, Hotch."

"Send my well-wishes."

"I will." He hung up, walking to the bathroom and sitting beside Spencer. "Having fun in here?"

Spencer nodded. "Oh yes. Parker won't stop piling bubbles on her brother's head, and Ben retaliates by grabbing the rubber duck and chucking it full force at his sister."

He shook his head, picking up Ben out of the tub and wrapping a towel around him, drying him off. While doing so, he turned to Parker. "Uncle Aaron called, he says he hopes you feel better soon."

Parker held up her arms to Spencer, who quickly lifted her out. "Papa, I get medicine?"

"No problem, Princess. Once I get Benny dressed." He leaned over, kissing her forehead, before wrapping the towel around Ben and picking him up, walking to the nursery.

* * *

That night, Derek laid back in bed. "_How_ can two kids wipe you out so much?"

Spencer shrugged, moving closer and resting his head on Derek's chest. "I don't know, but it's only 8:00 and I'm ready to get some sleep."

"I can agree to that," he mumbled, kissing the top of Spencer's head and running a hand through his hair.

"Did you give Parker her medicine?"

He yawned slightly. "Just dosed her an hour ago. She should be down for the night."

"Good, because you're mine tonight, Derek Morgan."

"I like the sound of that."

Later on, they were both woken up when they felt something climb on the bed. Assuming it was Clooney, they both ignored it, moving closer to each other and falling back asleep. Shortly after, it was nudging against Derek's arm, trying to get him to let go of Spencer. He opened one eye, sighing.

"Parker, why are you out of bed?"

"I want Daddy," she mumbled, pushing his arm out of the way and lying down next to Spencer, pulling the blanket over himself.

He turned to Spencer, who looked at him and sighed. "It's only one more night," he whispered, leaning over her and kissing him softly.

He nodded slightly. "_Just_ tonight."

* * *

Much to Derek's dismay, Parker came in to join them the next few nights. When it was time for Parker's doctor's appointment, Derek opted to stay home with Ben, considering he didn't want to disturb his naptime. Spencer sat in the room with Parker, checking on the bump on her head.

"You're not bruised up anymore, Princess. And the bump has gone down a _lot_."

She shrugged. "It's still an owie."

"I'm sure." He kissed her forehead, rubbing her back. "If the doctor says it's okay, you can maybe go back to gymnastics on Monday. I know you're _super_ excited to learn how to do cartwheels."

She looked up at him nervously. "…Maybe."

He was going to question her but her doctor walked in. "How are we doing today, Parker?"

She gave her a shrug as the x-rays were put up. Spencer observed them and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no breaks or other injuries on them.

"Is she okay?"

"More than fine. She's all set to go back to school and gymnastics practice, so long as she's not in any pain. She just needs to be careful doing somersaults on the balance beam."

Spencer rubbed Parker's arm, kissing the top of her head. "How about we go home and spend the weekend together? You don't have to go to school and Daddy doesn't have to go back to work until Monday."

She nodded, holding up her arms to him. He picked her up, grabbing his bag. "Here's hoping we don't see you again until her physical."

* * *

When they were in the car, Spencer took out his phone, calling Derek and putting it on speaker.

"What's going on, Pretty Boy?"

"Derek, you're on speaker and your daughter can hear you. Watch what you say."

Parker giggled in the background and Derek smiled. "Sorry about that, Princess. What did the doctor say?"

Spencer shook his head. "Doctor said that she's all set to go back to preschool on Monday, and can go back to gymnastics, so long as her head isn't still bothering her."

"Are you hurting, Parker?"

"A little."

Derek sighed, setting Ben in his walker and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Do you need to sleep with Daddy and Papa again tonight?"

"Uh huh."

"Spencer-"

"We'll talk when you get home. I love you."

"I love you too. Stay safe."

After getting home, Parker went to her room to nap, which left Derek and Spencer to talk.

"We can't keep letting her sleep in our bed, Spencer. I get it, she's hurting, and I hurt just thinking about that, but we can't let her be this dependent. She's an independent kid, always has been, and we can't give in to this."

Spencer ran a hand through his hair. "What do you want, Derek? Do you want me to tell her 'no, you can't spend what little time you have with your parents with them'? God knows when you'll be called off on another case and it's just the three of us again. What if this injury is her way of spending time with us without directly saying 'Daddy and Papa, I want some Parker time'. I know we still have her story time every single night, but maybe that isn't enough for her anymore. Maybe she needs just a little more than that from us."

Derek sighed, taking the seat beside him on the couch. "Tonight, she can be in our bed. But tomorrow night, she needs to be on her own again. We can't let her become completely dependent, or we'll never be able to go out on cases again without feeling even guiltier than we already do."

Spencer bit his lip, nodding. "I'll talk to her, but I swear to God, Derek, if I get another 'I hate you' from her, I'm going to hit you."

Derek smirked. "Deal."

* * *

On Monday morning, Spencer was getting Ben ready for daycare while Derek walked to Parker's room, knocking on her door. "Princess, are you getting ready in there?"

When that went unanswered, he raised an eyebrow, pushing the door open. Parker was still curled up on her bed, the blanket pulled over her head. He sighed, walking over and sitting on the edge. "What's going on, Princess?"

She pouted. "Owie."

He thought to himself and looked down at her. "Is your owie going to be okay tomorrow to go back to preschool?"

She nodded slightly. "Owie today."

He bent down, kissing her forehead. "Let me just go tell Daddy you're staying home today, okay?"

With another nod, she curled up into a ball. He got up, walking to the nursery, where Spencer was finally succeeding in getting Ben dressed.

"Is she getting ready?" Spencer asked, putting on his socks and shoes.

"She um, she says that her 'owie' is still hurting today, but she'll go back to school tomorrow."

"Derek-"

He put up his hand. "I'll stay home with her today. If a case comes in, we'll swap off. I promise, I'll talk to her and find out what this is about."

He sighed, picking up Ben's diaper bag. "Don't let her sleep the day away, because she _is_ going to school tomorrow, no matter what argument she tries to throw out there."

"Agreed," he said, taking Ben and kissing his forehead.

"And don't give her any form of rewards."

"I won't."

"Or incentives."

"When have I ever-"

"She's four and a half, Derek, she's not the world's greatest secret keeper. She told me you gave her new books for keeping her mouth shut about my 'missing' copy of The Canterbury Tales."

"Damn." He ran a hand through Ben's hair. "But no incentives and no rewards for missing school."

"No movies either."

"Fine."

"And leave reading for fun to four books today. Like I said, we're not rewarding her for not going in."

"Okay."

Spencer sighed. "Keep an eye on him while I go say goodbye to her?"

"You've got it." He walked to the kitchen, looking through the cabinets. "What do you say, little man, is your big sister looking for attention?"

"Yeah!"

He laughed softly, kissing his forehead and taking out the Cheerios, opening them and handing one to him. "Be a good boy today. Tonight when you get home, Papa and Ben playtime."

Spencer walked out. "I told her she has to get out of bed and sit on the couch. Can you have breakfast ready for her?"

"No problem."

Spencer eyed him. "And _no_ special purple pancakes."

"…Fine, she'll have oatmeal."

He walked to the kitchen, kissing his cheek. "Thank you for taking this."

"No problem. I think some Papa and Parker time can fix this."

"God, I hope so." He picked up Ben. "So are you going to call Hotch, or should I tell him when I get in?"

"Can you?"

"Got it." He turned to Ben, waving his hand. "Wave bye-bye to Papa."

Derek smiled when Ben started waving to him. "Bye, buddy."

With one last kiss, Spencer was off to drop Ben off at daycare, leaving Derek to take care of their current situation.

* * *

Spencer walked into work, setting his bag down at his desk. He then went straight to Hotch's office, knocking.

"It's open."

He stepped inside. "Hey, do you have a second?"

"No problem, have a seat. How's Parker?"

Spencer sat down, exhaling. "She's good. The doctor cleared her to go back to preschool and gymnastics, but she's still apprehensive about it. I take it you talked to Derek about our current situation?"

"Indeed. He said she's acting very dependent."

"She just started sleeping in her own bed a couple days ago, but she's still using her injury as a crutch. Which is why I wanted to talk to you. Derek went to check on her this morning and she said that her head was still hurting. We know it's not, but we also don't want to force her into going back to school if she's not ready. Derek's staying home with her today to figure out _why_ she's acting so dependently, but if a case comes in, we'll trade places."

He nodded. "No problem. What do you think it is?"

"Personally, I think it's psychosomatic. She has an injury that she's able to use for the attention, and with our jobs, she needs to take all the time with us that she can get. She thinks about the fact that we'll be on the job again and either fakes the pain or her body reacts by having her think she's _actually_ still hurt."

"You're far too good at your job, Reid."

He smirked. "Good enough for a raise?" Hotch gave him a look and he shook his head. "Noted." He got up, walking out to the bullpen and getting situated at his desk.

"No baby daddy today, Spence?" JJ asked.

He shook his head. "Nope, he's home with Parker today."

"Ben too?"

"Just her. We need to figure out why she's acting so dependent, and we figure it wouldn't help if he also had to give his attention to Ben."

"Aw," Emily started, "how's she doing?"

"Doctor cleared her to go back to school and gymnastics, but she's not quite ready yet. Derek's home fixing the problem."

"Did she at least like the gift basket?"

He smiled. "Oh, she loved it, thank you. Something tells me it was Aunt JJ's idea to include the chapter books?"

She held up her hand. "Guilty."

* * *

Meanwhile, Derek sat on the couch with Parker, running a hand through her hair.

"How's your owie feeling?"

She pouted, resting her head in his lap. "Okay."

"I bet." He fixed the blanket over her. "You know what it's time for?"

She shook her head slightly. "Nuh uh."

"One of our world-famous Papa and Parker talks."

She sat up on the couch, looking up at him. "Why?"

"The doctor said you were okay to go back to school, but you said your head still hurts."

"Uh huh."

"Does it? Now, remember, Papa's a mind-reader. He knows a lie."

She groaned and thought about the question, before shaking her head. "Not a lot."

He pulled her into his lap. "Do you want to tell Papa why you wanted to stay home?"

She reached down, playing with the wedding band on his finger, shrugging.

"Parker-"

"I miss you," she said softly, looking at her lap.

"What are you talking about? I'm right here."

"Yeah, _now_." She sniffed, twisting the ring on his finger. "Then you gotta work again."

"…And you thought since you had an owie, you could spend all the time you wanted with Daddy and Papa, because you were hurt."

She nodded slightly, sniffing. "I just wanted my Papa and Daddy."

Derek sighed, feeling like a jackass for wanting her to let up on them.

"Am I in trouble?"

He shook his head. "No, you're not in any trouble, but you really had Daddy and Papa scared. We thought maybe the doctors didn't see something they should have and that something was really wrong with our Princess. We didn't want you to be really hurt."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, reaching up and wiping her eyes. "I missed you."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. "We missed you too, Princess."

She turned around, burying her head in his shoulder. "I love you, Papa. A lot."

He smirked. "I bet I love you more."

Later in the day, Spencer took out his phone, calling Derek.

Derek turned to Parker. "It's Daddy, do you want to talk to him?"

She set down her book, nodding and holding out her hand.

He put a finger up. "If he asks, how many books have you read for fun today?"

"Three."

"Good job." He handed the phone to her, sitting down beside her.

She pressed the button to answer. "Hi, Daddy."

He smiled, leaning back in his chair. "Hey, Princess. How's your head?"

"Better." She pressed the button to put it on speaker. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Uh huh."

"You're not watching TV, are you? Or movies? Or reading for fun?"

"Nope, nope, and only three. I have _one_ more, Daddy!"

Derek laughed as Spencer smiled. "That you do."

"Daddy?"

"What is it, Princess?"

She looked up at Derek, then back at the phone. "Can we have Parker time?"

He raised an eyebrow. "We just had a week of Parker time."

"No, like, more."

He finally caught on, smirking. "I'll tell you what."

"Huh?"

"Once a week, no matter if it's Daddy or Papa home, there's going to be Parker time, and there's going to be Benny time. We'll do whatever you want for a few hours, so you don't just get Parker time every night for your story time, but we'll have other time to do something. How does that sound?"

She seemed to consider it for a minute, then smiled up at Derek. "Papa, can we?"

He bent his head down, kissing her forehead. "Of course."

"Hey, Parker," Spencer said, eyeing the clock.

"What, Daddy?"

"You can read as many books as you want, no more limit."

"Good, 'cause I already read nine."

He groaned. "Derek Morgan!"

"Hey, you said not to bribe her, I didn't. And you always said you wanted to raise an honest child."

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

Parker chewed on her lip. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Parker?"

"…Can I go to gymnastics?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Um, yeah. Daddy's going to come home early because Uncle Aaron said he's worried about you and wants to be sure you're okay. Do you want me and Papa to go with you?"

"Uh huh."

He chewed on his cheek. "Derek, once I get home, we'll take my car."

"You're driving? Come on, she'll never make it to practice on time."

He rolled his eyes. "She's going to be on time just fine. Parker, Papa's not allowed anymore TV today."

"Okay!"

He smiled. "Love you, Parker."

"Love you, Daddy!" She hung up the phone, handing it to Derek. "All yours."

"Thanks, you little rat."

She shrugged slightly, picking her book back up.

* * *

Spencer pulled into the driveway, honking the horn.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Parker, put on your sweatpants and jacket, you're not leaving the house in your leotard."

"But why?!"

"Because it's 30 degrees out and I'm not putting up with your Daddy having a fit."

She groaned, opening her backpack and pulling out her sweatpants, putting them on. She then grabbed her jacket, zipping it up. "Better?"

"Fantastic." He tossed her a hat while he pulled on his own jacket, zipping it. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

He took her hand, walking outside and locking the door behind him.

They walked inside the gym, where Spencer took a seat and took a hair elastic out of Parker's bag, putting her hair into a ponytail. "If your head starts hurting at all, I want you to tell your teacher, okay?"

She nodded slightly, groaning. "Daddy, don't pull so hard!"

Derek smirked, sitting down with Ben and handing him a toy. "Yeah, Daddy."

Spencer rolled his eyes, fixing her hair. "Perfect." He took her chin with his finger, tilting it up and giving her a kiss. "Good luck today, Princess."

She saluted him. "Yes, sir!"

He shook his head, patting her back. "Go on inside. We'll be watching."

She nodded, running into the room and closing the door behind her.

Derek turned to him a few minutes later. "You're quiet. Are you okay?"

He took a deep breath, nodding. "Fine." He took Ben, letting him stand on the bench and look in through the window. "Where's Parker? Show me Parker."

Ben looked around and squealed, pointing his finger. "Par!"

"There we go." He kissed Ben's forehead, looking where he was pointing and hitting Derek's arm. "Derek, she's on the balance beam again."

Derek turned around. "She's doing fine, she's just walking. She's not going to do anything she's not ready for."

Spencer gripped his arm, digging his nails in as she bent down. "Derek-"

"Spencer, she's done it before, she's going to be fine."

He bit down on his lip, carefully watching as she prepared for a somersault.

"Tuck your head, Princess. Tuck your head and roll. That's how she got hurt, she didn't tuck. I should go in there. I should tell her teacher and-"

Derek shook his head. "She's okay. Her teacher is right there guiding her."

Spencer held his breath as he watched her rest her hands on the beam, and could swear it was in slow motion as she rolled forward. He loosened his grip on Derek's arm when she finished, standing up and jumping up and down.

"I did it!"

Spencer smiled as she started doing her own victory dance and Ben seemed eager to join her. All of the nerves went away and he knew that, now that she conquered her fear and was assured she'd have time with her parents, there was nothing else to worry about… for now.


	4. Daddy Daughter Dance

Summary: Parker worries that she won't be able to go to a Daddy/Daughter dance, so she doesn't tell her parents. What happens when they find out about it?

* * *

Derek had opted to take both of the kids to the park, giving Spencer some peace and quiet to get some housework done. He had already finished cleaning up both of the kids' bedrooms and the kitchen, as well as the living room. He was in the basement, throwing clothes into the washing machine, when something fell out of the pocket of Parker's sweater. Curious, he bent down, unfolding the paper and reading it. Afterward he folded it back up, tucking it into his back pocket and putting the rest of the laundry in, putting in the detergent and turning on the machine. He sighed, emptying the dryer and walking back upstairs, closing the door behind him. He sat in the living room, folding the clothes and putting each pile in their owner's room.

When Derek came home, he had finished all of the housework and was sitting on the couch with a glass of ice water in hand. Parker ran in, climbing on the couch beside him, wrapping her arms around his middle.

"I take it you and Ben had fun at the park with Papa?" he asked, kissing her forehead.

She nodded. "We played on the swings and the slide and the jungle gym and _everything_. Papa even bought us ice cream after!"

He turned to face Derek. "Ice cream?"

Derek nodded before putting a finger to his lips, pointing to Ben sleeping against his shoulder. He smiled to himself and looked down at Parker. "There's a pile of laundry on your bed with your name on it, princess. Why don't you go take care of it?"

She agreed, kissing his cheek and getting off the couch, running to her room and closing the door.

Derek went to Ben's bedroom, tucking him in. He then closed the door and walked out to the living room, sitting beside Spencer.

"Did you get everything done?"

He nodded, resting his head on Derek's shoulder. "Thanks for getting them out of my hair for a couple of hours, I really appreciate it."

"Anytime."

"So you took them out for ice cream, when I'm cooking dinner in the next couple of hours?"

He shrugged. "What can I say? I can't say no."

"Clearly."

* * *

After dinner, Derek turned on some cartoons in the living room to keep the kids preoccupied. He walked out to the kitchen, wrapping his arms around Spencer's waist as he was doing the dishes and kissed his cheek.

"Everything okay?"

Spencer nodded, setting the last dish in the strainer and turning off the water, wiping his hands on a towel. "I'm fine, why?"

Derek leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "Spencer, I know you better than you know yourself, and I know when something's bugging you. What's wrong?"

He sighed, reaching in his back pocket and taking out the paper, holding it out to him. "Did Parker tell you about this?"

He raised an eyebrow, unfolding it and reading. "She didn't tell me anything."

"I think she's embarrassed." He eyed Derek before looking back at the floor. "It's a Daddy Daughter dance, but the problem is, she has two fathers. She's embarrassed that she's not a normal kid with a mom and a dad." He crossed his arms, swallowing. "And she probably didn't tell us because she didn't want to deal with it."

Derek sighed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and rubbing his arm. "You know she's not embarrassed by you, Spencer. She's proud of you. She knows how strong you are, how much you've been through, and she loves you. She loves having a Daddy and a Papa, hell, she even brags about it to other people."

"Then why didn't she tell us?"

"There's only one way to find out," he said, motioning toward the living room.

Spencer exhaled, taking Derek's hand and walking out to the living room. "Ben, can you go to your room for a minute? Papa and I need to talk to Parker."

Ben looked up at them. "Trouble?"

Derek smiled, shaking his head. "No, your sister isn't in trouble. Now go, please?"

He got off the couch, walking to his room and closing the door behind him.

Spencer sat on one of her sides, while Derek sat on the other.

"Parker, is there anything you want to tell us?" Derek asked.

She thought about it and shook her head. "I've been good. I didn't prove my teacher wrong this week!"

Spencer smirked. "We know, and trust us, we're proud of that."

"Is there anything else? You won't be in trouble, you can tell us."

She thought again. "I stayed up past my bedtime reading yesterday?"

"That's not what we're talking about," Derek said.

"Then what?"

Spencer bit his lip, taking the paper from Derek and opening it, handing it to her. "I found this in your sweater when I was doing laundry today."

She looked down at the paper and threw it on the table, immediately looking back at her lap.

"Do you not want to go?" Spencer asked, running his hand through her hair. "If you don't, we can stop talking about it, I promise."

She shook her head. "I wanna."

"Then why didn't you tell us?" Derek said, rubbing her back.

She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "It's a _Daddy_ Daughter dance. Not a _Daddies_ Daughter dance. One of the girls in my class said you had to have one Daddy to go, but I have two."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I gotta stand up for myself, you said." She looked up at Derek. "You said big girls need to stand up for themselves, and I didn't."

He pulled her into his lap, kissing the top of her head. "If something's bugging you, and you can't stand up for yourself, it doesn't make you a baby to tell Daddy or Papa. I promise."

"But I can't go," she whispered, playing with his wedding band.

"Says who?" Spencer questioned.

"Says Victoria."

"Well you know, she's a little liar, because you _can_ go."

Spencer shook his head, smirking. "Even better, if you really want to, you can go with _both_ of your daddies. It's Saturday, and neither Papa nor I have to work. If you want us to go, all you have to do is ask."

She smiled, wiping her eyes and sniffing. "Daddy?"

"What is it, princess?"

"Will you and Papa go to the dance with me?"

Derek smirked, kissing her forehead. "I would _love_ to go. Spencer?"

"Me too." He thought and looked at Parker. "How about I let you go out shopping with Aunt JJ to get a new dress, and you can surprise us with it on Saturday?"

She shot up from Derek's lap, wrapping her arms around Spencer and hugging him. "Thank you, Daddy!" She then moved over, hugging Derek. "Thank you, Papa!"

* * *

That night, the two of them were lying in bed, Spencer's head on Derek's chest.

"Can you believe that someone in her class told her she couldn't do something _just_ because she has two fathers?"

Derek shrugged. "Ignorant people raise ignorant children. I just hope that from now on if something like that happens, she either stands up for herself or tells us. I didn't raise a bully, but I didn't raise a child to take anybody's crap either."

"That you didn't." He tilted his head up, kissing Derek's cheek. "Did you call JJ?"

"I did, and she's more than willing to take her shopping after work tomorrow, and she'll watch Ben for us while we take her to the dance Saturday morning. Don't worry, I'll be sure to put the coffee on."

"Good, because being around a lot of eight year olds, we're going to need it." He shifted closer. "You know, during her story time today, she apologized?"

"What?"

"She said she was sorry for not telling us, and she wasn't going to lie to us again."

Derek smirked. "We'll see if that holds true when we catch her up past her bedtime reading again."

* * *

As promised, JJ had taken Parker shopping for the perfect dress, and taken it home with her so neither of her parents could get a look at it. On Saturday morning, Spencer sat in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Is she awake yet?" he asked, looking at Derek.

He poked his head in her room and quickly closed the door, walking out to the kitchen and shaking his head. "She's still asleep. I'll wake her up if she's still out when JJ gets here."

He nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "Last night, she told me everyone in her class is going to be jealous."

"Oh?"

He smiled. "She said 'they'll all be jealous. They're going with one daddy, but no matter _what_ Victoria says, I'm going with _two_. Then she'll know she was wrong.'."

"That sounds like her." He set a plate in front of Spencer, before sitting across from him. "Considering we made waffles and eggs, I expect Ben to come out of his room in five, four, three, two-" he pointed to Ben's bedroom door, which opened up, and Ben walked out to the kitchen. "See?"

Spencer smiled. "Okay, show-off, go get him some breakfast." He pulled Ben into his lap, kissing the top of his head. "Did you sleep okay?"

He nodded, yawning softly. Spencer moved him to his own seat when Derek walked over to him, setting a cup of juice and a plate in front of him.

"So, Ben, are you going to be good for Aunt JJ while we're gone with Parker?" Derek asked, poking around on his plate.

He nodded, taking a sip of his juice. "Very good."

Spencer ruffled his hair, smiling. "Good. How about the next weekend that we're not working, the three of us do something, just the guys?"

His face lit up, gasping. "Really?!"

"I think Papa can come up with something really fun for us," he said, looking over at Derek.

"I think I can make that happen."

* * *

When there was a knock on the door, Spencer looked up at the clock. "Can you go wake her up and get some breakfast in her before Aunt JJ starts whatever routine she's going to do to get her ready?"

Derek nodded, getting up and walking to Parker's room. Meanwhile, Spencer put on some cartoons for Ben in the living room and walked to the front door, holding it open.

"Is the princess up yet?" JJ asked, stepping inside with a few shopping bags.

"Not yet, Derek's waking her up now. After some breakfast, she's all yours." He looked at the bags. "…Is there something I should be looking for on my credit card statement?"

She smiled. "As promised, you only bought the dress, but I couldn't help myself from getting her a few more little things for her outfit."

"And the shoebox?"

"I love you, Spence, but your daughter is not wearing her oxfords to a Daddy Daughter dance. The girl needed shoes."

He rolled his eyes, walking to the living room and sitting beside Ben. By now, he'd relocated to the floor, playing with his dinosaur toys.

Once Parker was awake and fed, she grabbed JJ's hand, dragging her to the bedroom and closing the door behind her.

"Do I want to know?" Spencer asked, motioning toward her door.

"Probably not." Derek sat next to Ben, pulling him into lap and grabbing one of the dinosaurs.

The two of them were quick to get ready themselves and sat in the living room, waiting for Parker. Her bedroom door opened and JJ stepped out, walking to the living room and standing in front of them.

"Close your eyes."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

She gave him a look. "You heard me. Close your eyes, both of you."

Ben looked up at them with a smirk, sticking his tongue out. "I can still see."

"I take it back, all three of you."

Derek laughed, kissing Ben's forehead before grabbing his hands, putting them over his eyes. Derek squeezed his own eyes shut and Spencer followed suit. JJ walked back to Parker's room, taking her hand and walking to the living room, standing her in front of them.

"Open."

Ben shoved off Derek's hands and gasped. "She a _princess_, Papa."

He looked over at her and smiled. She was wearing a purple tie-dye patterned dress with ruffles, probably because she knew purple was Spencer's favorite color. She was also wearing a pair of white dress shoes, and had her hair done up. He noticed very light make-up on her, and knew that was JJ's idea. "Wow, Ben, you're right. She is a princess." He looked over at Spencer. "You okay?"

He nodded, wiping his eyes and exhaling.

"Oh, Spence…"

He sniffed, shaking his head. "Parker, you look beautiful." He stood up and walked over, bending down to hug her.

She smiled, hugging him back and kissing his cheek. "Be a big boy, Daddy."

Derek smirked, setting Ben down on the couch. "Buddy, we're going to head out with your big sister. Be good for Aunt JJ, okay?"

He nodded and Derek got up, grabbing his car keys from the table by the door and stuffing his wallet in his pocket. Spencer stood up, taking Parker's hand and walking her outside, closing the door behind him.

When they got in the car, Spencer walked back into the house, before running out to the car with a small container.

"What's that?" Parker asked, pointing to it.

"Papa and I bought you a flower for your dress," he said, turning around and opening the box, showing her.

She gasped. "Pretty! And it matches!"

Derek smirked. "Purple, it's you and Daddy's favorite."

"Perfect!"

Spencer leaned back, pinning the flower to the front of her dress. He sat back in his seat. "It looks great, don't you agree, Papa?"

Derek nodded. "Definitely." He pulled the car out of the driveway. "So, Parker, who gets the first dance?"

"Daddy! No offense, Papa, but it's the _Daddy_ Daughter dance, and his name _is_ Daddy."

"I can't argue with that logic." He turned to face Spencer. "What do you say, Daddy?"

Spencer raised his eyebrows. "I don't know, Parker. You can ask Papa, Daddy has two left feet. At our wedding, I stepped on his feet the whole time. I'm not sure I should be your first dance."

She crossed her arms. "You carried me, right?"

"Well, yeah, of course I did. I have the pictures and the scar to prove it-"

"And you wanted me since you knew about me?"

"Of course. There was never a point where I didn't want you-"

"And you woulda done it _all_ by yourself if Papa didn't wanna help?"

"Definitely, without a doubt-"

"Then _why_ would I care about two left feet?"

Derek smiled. "She's got you there, Pretty Boy."

He opened his mouth to argue but sighed, leaning back in his seat, defeated. "Fine."

She clapped, proud of herself.

* * *

They pulled up to the school and got out, Parker taking their hands to pull them inside. They were sure to stop at the photographer, where Spencer knelt on one side and Derek on the other, each with an arm on Parker's back. Spencer knew that he couldn't wait to have that picture and send it to everyone, including her grandma and nana. She took Spencer's hand and looked at Derek. "Papa, I want you to stay right here, okay?" she pointed to a seat.

He put up his hands, sitting down and resting them in his lap. "Right here until you tell me to move."

"And Daddy, you need to come dance with me."

He paused. "Really?"

"I said it in the car and I meant it!" She took his hand, moving a few steps away from Derek.

Spencer was thankful that the song was a slow song, which meant he couldn't embarrass himself too much. He looked around at the other fathers and daughters and saw the daughters standing on their fathers' toes, to give them more height for the dance. He smiled, looking down at her. "Step on Daddy's feet so you can be taller."

She looked at him hesitantly. "Are you _sure_?"

"Positive."

She stepped up on his feet and held her arms up. He took her hands, cupping them around his, and started slowly moving to the music, a song called _My Wish_. He studied the lyrics as they were playing and knew that it was the perfect song for the two of them.

Toward the end of the song, Parker looked up at him. "Thank you, Daddy."

He smiled to himself. "For what, princess?"

"A lot of stuff."

"Oh, like what?"

She shrugged. "For being the best Daddy ever?"

He laughed slightly. "And this isn't just for sucking up purposes?"

She shook her head, tightening her grip on his hands. "You did a lot for me, and gave up a lot, and I like that."

"You do?"

"Uh huh. You were alone, but you were brave and had me. Not a lot of people would, but you did. You're the best Daddy in this room, probably in the _world_."

He bit down on his lip and picked her up, pulling her into a hug. "I love you, Parker."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing as tightly as she could. "I love you too, Daddy."

As the song ended, he wiped his eyes, walking over and sitting beside Derek, setting Parker in his lap.

"Parker, did you break Daddy?" Derek asked, reaching over and wiping his eyes.

She shook her head. "Nuh uh. I danced on his toes and I thanked him for being brave and having me. No breaking, I promise!"

Spencer rested his head on Derek's shoulder. "We had to raise a smart one, didn't we?"

"Indeed." He kissed the top of Spencer's head and turned to Parker. "You know, Papa recorded you dancing with Daddy, so you can let anyone you want see it."

She gasped. "Really?!"

He nodded, holding out his phone to show her.

Spencer shook his head. "Nobody needs to see that."

"Kid, you two had every dad in the room who saw you tearing up, whether they admit it or not. It's going to be one hell of a memory to hold onto."

He smiled, looking at Parker. "I think Daddy's going to sit this next one out. Why don't you drag Papa on the dance floor?"

"Why, so _you_ can record?" Derek asked.

Spencer winked and picked up Derek's phone as Parker dragged him out on the dance floor.

* * *

Before the dance was over, Parker stood in front of both of her fathers, arms crossed.

"Uh oh," Derek started, straightening up. "I know that look."

Spencer nodded. "That seems to be her 'I'm not happy with you two' look. But what I don't know is _why_ we're getting it."

"I want to dance," she demanded.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Okay." He set his cup of juice down and started to get up. "Let's go."

She shook her head. "I want to dance with _both_ of you."

Spencer looked around nervously. "I don't know, Parker. People might think it's odd."

"Let them, I don't care," she said, crossing her arms again. "My Daddy and Papa raised me not to care what other people think. I'm not leaving until I dance with my Daddy _and_ my Papa, and that's _final_."

He glanced over at Derek. "We have no choice, huh?"

"Afraid not." He held out his hand to Spencer and helped him up, before Parker grabbed one of their hands and dragged them out onto the dance floor.

"How do you suppose we do this, princess?" Spencer asked.

She put a finger to her chin, thinking, before an idea came to her. She stepped on one of Derek's feet and one of Spencer's, holding up her hands to them. Derek smiled, taking one of her hands and wrapping the other around Spencer's waist. Spencer took note of his position and mimicked it, swaying along with him to the music.

* * *

On the drive home, Spencer opened the folder to look at the picture that was taken when they walked in. He smiled and ran his finger over it. "I'd say we're a photogenic bunch," he said, holding out the photo to Derek while he was stopped at a red light.

Derek looked over and smiled himself. "That looks great. Parker, what do you think?"

She sat forward and got a look at it. "It's awesome! Even Daddy's smiling – he never does that in pictures."

Spencer scoffed. "I do too smile, especially in pictures with you."

She shrugged. "Not _always_. Sometimes you look weird."

He looked over at Derek. "She gets that bluntness from you."

"I'll gladly own up to that."

* * *

Derek parked in the driveway and turned around in his seat. "Parker, Daddy and I had a really great time today. Are you glad you told us?"

She nodded and undid her seatbelt. "Really glad. I had fun and you made it fun."

Spencer smiled. "Even when Daddy stepped on Papa's foot during our last dance?"

"Papa's used to it," she reasoned.

They walked inside and JJ looked up from the pile of dinosaur toys in front of her and Ben.

"How did it go?" she asked, setting one down.

Parker smiled, running over and hugging her. "Thank you for making me pretty, Aunt JJ."

JJ returned the hug, but shook her head. "You were _already_ pretty, Parker." She kissed the top of her head and turned to Derek and Spencer. "Did you two enjoy yourselves?"

"We really did." Spencer reached down, undoing his tie and putting it over his shoulder, before walking over and sitting down next to Ben, kissing his forehead. "Were you good for Aunt JJ?"

"Uh huh!" He pointed to the dinosaurs. "We played!"

"I see that. Can you clean these up?"

He nodded, getting up and grabbing an empty box, throwing his dinosaur toys inside and walking to his room.

"If only I had that sort of control over Henry," JJ said with a laugh. She pushed herself up. "He was great, seriously. In comparison to his sister, he's _much_ quieter."

"That sounds about right." Derek looked at Parker. "Why don't you go change out of that dress so nothing happens to it?"

She hugged his legs before going to her room, closing the door behind her.

"Let me see," JJ said, holding out her hands.

"Excuse me?"

"I know there are pictures, and I know there's video. Now, as payment for watching over your dinosaur loving son, let me see."

Derek reached in his pocket, taking out his phone and opening up a gallery, handing it to her.

She looked through the pictures and smiled. "Am I going to get copies?"

"As many as you want. As well as copies of this," Spencer said, handing her the picture that was taken.

"And to think, she didn't want to go because she was afraid of hurting feelings or being different."

"Don't worry, she took care of that. She gave us a nice little speech about not caring and dragged us out on the dance floor."

"Sounds like her." She set the picture down and handed the phone back to Derek. "I'll see you guys on Monday."

"Thanks again, JJ," Derek told her, holding open the door.

"Like I said before, it's really no trouble. Enjoy the rest of your weekend."

He nodded and closed the door after she left.

Parker ran out to the living room in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Better, Papa?"

"Much. Where's your brother?"

"Fixing his dinosaurs."

"Sounds about right."

Spencer looked down at her, running a hand through his hair. "So, Parker, next time there's something for Daddies and Daughters-"

"I'm going to say 'I have a Daddy and a Papa, and they're _both_ coming, 'cause they're awesome'."

Derek smiled, lifting her up and kissing her cheek. "Good answer."


	5. Breakfast

**Summary:** Parker decides that she and Ben should surprise their parents.

* * *

Parker tiptoed into Ben's room, careful not to make too much noise. She picked up his stuffed dinosaur off of the floor and set it on the bed, shaking his arm.

"Benny," she whispered. "Benny, wake up."

He looked up at her, whimpering softly. "Why?"

"We're gonna do something for Daddy and Papa."

He kicked the blankets off of himself, sitting up. He set his dinosaur on his pillow before turning to face her. "Why?"

"Because we're awesome kids, now come on."

He shook his head and climbed off his bed, following her out to the kitchen. "What are we doing?"

"Making breakfast," she put plainly, pushing over the stool and looking through the cabinets.

"…But Daddy and Papa say we're not allowed to touch the oven, or the toaster, or the microwave. I don't wanna be in trouble."

"You won't be!" She reached in the cabinet, taking out several boxes of cereal and two bowls. "See? No trouble here, just cereal. Can you get the milk?"

He nodded, walking over to the fridge and pulling the door open, before grabbing the milk and setting it on the cabinet.

She opened the boxes of cereal and poured some into each of the bowls, closing the boxes back up, putting them back into the cabinets. She then poured in the milk, luckily not making a mess. "Get two spoons, Benny."

He pulled open the drawer, taking out two spoons and holding them up.

"Good! Can you take one of these to Papa without spilling?"

He considered it but quickly nodded, reaching up and taking one, putting in a spoon. "I can."

She smiled, picking up the other one, motioning for him to follow her.

* * *

They walked into their bedroom, and Parker motioned toward the nightstand, telling Ben to put the bowl up there. She did the same with Spencer's nightstand and they climbed on the bed, Parker sitting beside Spencer and Ben sitting beside Derek.

She held up three fingers. "3…2…1," she whispered, before shaking Spencer's arm, Ben quickly doing the same.

Spencer groaned, burying his head in Derek's chest. "Forget psychopaths not being respectful of our weekends," he mumbled, "eight and five year olds are worse."

Derek smiled slightly, kissing the top of his head. "Agreed. Should we see what they want?"

"I don't think we have a choice. Parker's about to shake my arm off."

The two of them sat up, stretching slightly, and Spencer rubbed his eyes. "And to what do we owe this wonderful wake-up call?" he asked, looking down at Parker.

"We made breakfast!"

He eyed Derek. "…Do you smell smoke?"

Derek shook his head. "No, you?"

"No smoke – we didn't break any rules!" Ben quickly said, defending them.

Derek reached down, ruffling Ben's hair. "Then do tell me, little guy, what'd you do?"

"Cereal!" he said, pointing to the bowl on his nightstand.

Spencer leaned over, grabbing his bowl, while Derek grabbed his own. "I have a combination of Fruit Loops and Cheerios, you?" he asked, moving around his spoon.

Spencer moved his spoon around. "Lucky Charms and what appears to be Fruity Pebbles." He picked it up, taking a bite and nodding. "Definitely Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles."

"I didn't know what you liked more, so I did both!" Parker told them, sitting next to Spencer.

Spencer reached down, running his hand through her hair. "Thank you, Princess." He kissed the top of her head. "What's this for? It's not father's day, it's not either of our birthdays, and it's just a regular Saturday."

She shook her head. "It's a Saturday where we can have our Daddy _and_ our Papa home. It's special."

He froze for a minute before turning to Derek. "I say… day in, just the four of us, no phones?"

Derek finished his cereal, nodding. "I think that's do-able." He eyed Ben. "What do you say, buddy?"

He gasped. "Just me, you, Daddy, and Parker? Really?"

"Really. Our first family activity can be cleaning up whatever mess it is you two made in the kitchen."

Parker groaned. "But we did something _good_."

"And you can do something better by cleaning up," Spencer said, patting her head. "You two get a head start, Papa and I will meet you there."

Reluctantly, the two children got up, walking out to the kitchen.

Spencer groaned, leaning back against their headboard. "Can't we ever just have _one_ weekend, just _one_, where we actually know what it's like to sleep in?"

Derek smirked. "Yeah, when those two go to college and we have the house to ourselves for the first time ever."

He rubbed his eyes. "Let's hope they got more from me than we currently realize, because I have to say, I _really_ miss sleeping."

Derek shook his head, getting off the bed and grabbing Spencer's hands. "Good luck with that, but until then, we have coffee."

"I don't suppose they knew how to turn that on?" Derek gave him a look and he sighed, pulling himself up. "Thought so."


	6. Staying Home

**Summary:** When his leave after having Ben is almost up, Spencer contemplates going back to work.

* * *

Derek had gone back to work a month after Ben was born, though he had offered to stay with Spencer a little longer if he needed the company. Spencer would've enjoyed it, but knew that the team needed the extra person, so he told Derek to go back and keep in touch anytime he could. For the first couple of weeks, Derek would check in multiple times a day, as he had done with Parker. Spencer wouldn't admit it, because it was completely uncharacteristic of him, but he actually enjoyed the time off. He'd spend all day taking care of Ben, and after picking Parker up at preschool, he'd be able to watch movies with her or just sit around with a coloring book while Ben napped. There were no major responsibilities aside from parenting, and everything he thought about was what would be considered normal: instead of brainstorming past serial killers and behavioral patterns, his concerns were only what he would make for dinner that night and when Ben would be up from his nap. A small part of him did miss working, but there was a much bigger part of him that told him that going back to work wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and he could very easily enjoy his days and nights at home with the kids instead.

A week before Spencer was supposed to go back to work, Derek walked out to the living room, handing a folder to him.

"What's this?" he asked, flipping through it and reading.

"I know you said you were going to, and I'm sorry if I stepped on your toes, but I stopped at Parker's old daycare and picked up the forms for Ben to start there next week," he explained, sitting beside him.

Spencer thumbed through the forms, clicking his tongue, before setting the folder back on the table.

"What, you're not going to fill it out right away? Who are you and _what_ have you done with my husband?"

He smirked, turning up the volume on the baby monitor before leaning back. "It's me, I'm just in no rush to fill out those forms," he told him.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "You're in no rush? What does that mean?"

He cleared his throat. "It means that I'm not going back to work." He got up, grabbing his coffee mug off of the table and turning to Derek. "Coffee?"

"…You just told me you're not going back to work and all you have to say to me is 'coffee'?"

"So I'll take that as a no." He turned around, walking to the kitchen.

Derek got up, following him. "What do you mean you're not going back to work?"

He shrugged, pouring his coffee and putting in the sugar, stirring it. "I mean that I don't see the point. You make more than enough money to support this family, I could get a stay at home job, and I could spend all of my time with Ben." He took a sip, leaning against the counter.

"But, Spencer," he paused, trying to word it correctly. "You know I love you, but there is no way that can happen."

"Why not?"

"Because, as I said, I love you, but you can _not_ stay at home and do nothing all day. You would seriously lack the ability to _not_ use your brain on a daily basis."

He crossed his arms, chewing on his cheek. "I understand that, but I don't need to go back to work."

"Why's that?" Derek asked, trying to understand his thought process.

"Because Alex Blake would be a more than suitable replacement for me, having a Ph.D. and being highly intelligent. It's obvious that she's fit in well with the team, and if I go back, she loses her place. Then we have to deal with me awkwardly adjusting to go to work and dealing with separation anxiety _again_, and possibly even more post partum. You know how much I hated that and having to talk to a therapist every week, and I don't think that's worth it."

Derek took a deep breath, sighing. "Spencer, you do realize the sacrifice you're making, right? This is giving up _work_, a career that you worked your ass off for, just to sit at home. I love Ben and I want to spend every waking moment with him too, but I can't because I work to support our family. You need to support our family too, and I realize that you can do that staying at home and raising them, but you need to let him go. He's going to be okay, and Catherine is more than capable of watching him: look how great she did with Parker. She even realized that Parker was so intelligent that she could start preschool early."

He nodded slightly. "I know Catherine would do amazing, and I know how much you love them, but Derek," he looked him in the eyes, sighing, "this is something I have to do, and I need you to respect that. Maybe I'll realize it's a mistake, and maybe I'll realize it's the best decision I could possibly make, but that isn't something that I can figure out without trying it first. I need you to let me find this out for myself, okay?"

"How long have you been thinking about this?"

He sighed, setting down his mug. "Honestly? Since I found out I was pregnant."

Derek studied Spencer's face, and he could tell how much this meant to him. "I want you to sleep on it, okay? And if you still feel the same way tomorrow, we'll talk about it, and then you can talk to Hotch about it. I'm sure he'd be more than understanding about the situation."

He nodded again. "I promise."

Derek took the last few steps toward him, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a hug. Spencer rested his head on his shoulder, muttering a 'thank you' against his neck.

That night, Spencer had slept on the idea on going back to work. When he'd woken up in the middle of the night because of it, he'd come up with a list of pros and cons about it. In the end, the pros outweighed the cons, though there were more of them, and he made his decision, leaning back on the bed and curling up against Derek, falling asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Spencer was sitting at the kitchen table with Parker while she ate her breakfast.

"So, Parker," he started, setting down his coffee mug and looking at her, intertwining his fingers.

She looked up, mimicking him. "So, Daddy?"

He smiled slightly. "Do you like Daddy picking you up at preschool everyday and being able to spend all that time with Daddy and Benny?"

She thought about it before nodding, eating another bite of her pancakes. "I really do. I get breakfast and snacks and see you a lot."

He saw Derek walk in, pulling on his jacket and looking around for his keys. "Have fun at preschool today, okay? I'll see you at 2:00."

She saluted him, getting up and putting her plate in the sink. Derek walked in, helping her wash her hands in the kitchen sink. "Is that what you're wearing today?" he asked, drying her hands off.

She looked down at herself in a bright green tutu and orange tights. "Uh huh."

"Then let's get you to preschool, Penny Junior," he told her, grabbing her jacket and helping her into it, zipping it up.

She giggled, picking up her backpack and putting it over her shoulders. "Bye, Daddy. Love you and Benny!"

He walked over, kneeling in front of her and giving her a hug before kissing her cheek. "I love you too."

Derek looked down at Spencer, and wordlessly, he nodded. "Want to talk when I get home from work?"

He nodded, pushing himself up. "JJ offered to take them for a couple of hours so we could talk. I had to instantly assure her that we weren't getting a divorce."

He smirked. "Sounds about right." He kissed Spencer quickly before picking Parker up, grabbing his keys off of the counter and walking outside, closing the door behind him.

* * *

After taking Ben to his two month appointment, Spencer called Derek to check in and let him know that everything was fine with him, despite his grumpiness at getting shots. Derek had asked him if he was sure about his decision, and he told him that he was positive and would talk to him that night. Once Derek had 'talked' to Ben on the phone for a few minutes, Spencer hung up, putting Ben into his swing and turning it on. He smiled, watching Ben look up at him. He was sure the smile on Ben's face was gas, but it still made him feel great nonetheless. He couldn't imagine how he ever avoided staying home with Parker, because right now, it just felt right. Sticking Parker in daycare had been extremely hard, and he wasn't sure he could go through that again with Ben.

Meanwhile at work, Derek grabbed his mug off of his desk and walked to the break room, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

JJ walked up behind him, taking the pot and pouring her own. "So is there a reason Spence asked me to babysit for a few hours tonight?" she asked, stirring in her cream and putting the container back in the fridge.

He nodded, taking a sip and leaning against the counter. "As a matter of fact, yes, a very good reason."

She raised an eyebrow. "Does this have anything to do with him going back to the doctor a few weeks ago and being cleared for, you know-"

He shook his head. "No, and if you must know, _that_ happened again last weekend."

She wrinkled her nose. "I didn't. Is there any chance I can know what this is about? Usually Spence talks to me about anything that's bothering him, but I haven't heard from him and I'm starting to get a little worried. He hasn't even been to the office with Ben in a while, and he knows how much we love those visits."

He looked around and saw that several agents were working at their desks not too far away. He sighed, turning to her. "My office, ten minutes, and you can't tell _anybody_. Deal?"

"…Deal."

* * *

JJ's eyes widened, looking at Derek. "What do you mean he's _not _coming back?!"

He shrugged, sitting down at his desk and setting his mug down. "I mean he's thought about it for a long time now, and he's decided that he doesn't want to come back to work when his leave is up next week."

"But- but it's Spence, he loves work. He loves helping us out and being in the field and making a difference, hence why he came back after Parker was born."

"Trust me, I know all of that, and I've tried to talk to him, but his mind's made up. We're going to talk about how he's going to go about it tonight, and tomorrow, he's going to come in and talk to Hotch."

She frowned. "…But we need him. It's not like he's gone and we're partying. Even though we have Blake, we're really struggling on some cases."

"And I want to tell him that, but just bringing up the fact that he could go back to work makes him upset. There's a part of him that just doesn't want to leave the kids and wants to be a stay-at-home dad, with some sort of stay-at-home job, and that part is overpowering every other part of him."

"There's nothing we can do to convince him otherwise?"

He gave her a look. "When have you _ever_ known Spencer to leave a loophole in a decision?"

"Good point." She sank into the chair in front of his desk, sighing. "This is what's going to make him happy?" When he nodded in response, she took a deep breath. "…Then I guess we don't have a choice. We just have to accept it."

When he got home that night, Derek kicked off his shoes by the front door and bent down to pick up Parker, who was running toward him.

"Did you have a good day at preschool?" he asked, setting her against his hip.

She nodded repeatedly. "I wrote my name!"

He gasped. "You did not!"

"Uh huh, I did too!" She pointed to the kitchen and he walked out, looking at the paper on the table. Sure enough, though very messy, she'd written out her full name.

"Did you show Daddy this already?"

"Yes I did, and he _loved _it."

"I do too." He kissed the top of her head. "Where's Daddy?"

She pointed to the nursery. "Getting Benny dressed. He just got a bath."

"Lucky him. Can you please sit out here while I go see Daddy and Benny?"

She saluted him and he smiled, ruffling her hair and walking to the nursery.

He saw Spencer pulling on Ben's pajamas and waited until he was done before walking up behind him, wrapping his arms around Spencer's waist and kissing his cheek.

Spencer smiled, patting his hand. "Hello to you, too."

He hooked his chin over Spencer's shoulder, smiling at Ben. "Hey there, little man. Did you have fun with Daddy today?" When Ben smiled in response, he smirked. "Awesome, I'm glad you got all of that grumpy out of your system with Daddy."

Spencer rolled his eyes, swatting at Derek's arm. "He's bathed and he's eaten, so he's all yours while I go spend some time with Parker."

"I think I can handle that." He picked up Ben, kissing his forehead. "Come on, little man. You plus swing plus us plus TV."

"That's a lot of math for a two month old," Spencer told him.

"I think he's got the gist of it." He walked out to the living room, setting Ben in his swing and facing it toward the TV. "It's time to introduce you to sports, buddy."

Spencer rolled his eyes, taking a picture and sending it around before walking out to the kitchen and joining Parker.

After the kids were put to bed that night, Derek turned to Spencer.

"Do you want to talk?"

He nodded. "Does this have anything to do with JJ calling me earlier?"

He sighed, sitting beside him on the bed. "You know how she is – if I didn't tell her, she would've found out somehow."

"Good point." He moved closer, resting his head on Derek's shoulder.

Derek reached up, running his fingers through Spencer's hair and sighing. "You're going to stay home?"

"It's the right decision," Spencer started, reaching down and lacing their fingers. "Looking back, I wish I'd done the same thing with Parker. Ever since becoming a parent, everything's just different for me. I'm not saying it has to for you, but me personally? I can't see myself going back out in the field and not being here for him when he needs me. I actually talked to Parker about it, and she agrees with me."

He smiled slightly. "You checked with our three year old about a situation this serious?"

"Yeah, and she thinks staying home with Ben is a good decision, especially considering how injury prone I am on the job." He looked up at Derek. "Please don't try to talk me out of it, because it would feel wrong going back."

Derek rubbed his back, kissing the top of his head. "I'm going to miss you, but I also know that I can't change your mind. Are you going to talk to Hotch?"

He nodded. "I'm talking to him tomorrow."

"So that means Ben's going to be coming by?"

"…No, Derek, I'm going to leave him home alone. Clooney's a suitable babysitter, right?"

Derek laughed slightly, flicking his nose. "Now I know where Parker gets it from. Should I inform the aunts and uncles their favorite little guy is coming by?"

Spencer shook his head. "I'm coming after I pick up Parker at preschool, so I think we'll surprise them. Think you can keep a secret?"

"Oh, definitely." He tilted Spencer's chin up, kissing him. "I love you."

He smirked. "I love you too. Thank you for understanding."

"It's no trouble, Pretty Boy," he told him, tucking his hair behind his ear. "Permission to still call you after you're done for your help?"

"For you? Permission granted."

* * *

The next morning, once he finished getting ready, he walked into the bedroom, kissing Spencer's forehead.

"Hm?" Spencer mumbled, pushing the blanket off of his head.

Derek smiled. "Ben's fed, changed, and asleep. You can sleep in this morning."

He pulled his arm out from under the blanket, pulling Derek's head down and kissing him.

"Is that your way of saying thank you?" Derek whispered.

Spencer nodded. "I'll see you later. Love you."

"Love you too, Spencer."

At that, Spencer pulled the blanket back over his head, and Derek knew he was dead to the world. He walked out to the living room, grabbing Parker's jacket and putting it on her, zipping it up.

"Are you excited to see your aunts and uncles after school today?" he asked, putting on her mittens and hat.

She nodded. "I'll draw pictures!"

"And I'm sure they'll love them." He picked her up, kissing her cheek. "Daddy's getting some sleep, so can you blow him a kiss from here?"

"Uh huh!" She blew a kiss, pushing it toward the bedroom door. He smiled, grabbing his keys off of the table and walking outside, closing the door behind him.

Later that day, Spencer packed up Ben's things and drove to Parker's preschool to pick her up. He set down Ben's carrier after walking into Parker's classroom, looking at her teacher.

"I'm sorry, am I early?"

She shook her head, smiling. "Right on time. Parker, your Dad and brother are here to get you."

Parker looked up, squealing excitedly, closing her book. She stuffed her things into her backpack and ran over to her cubby, grabbing her jacket, mittens, and hat. Walking over to Spencer, she held them up to him.

He kissed her forehead, putting on her jacket and zipping it up. "Did you have fun today?"

She nodded, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug. "Thank you for getting me, Daddy."

He smiled, rubbing her back. "You're very welcome. Now, come on. Benny's going to be up from his nap just in time for Papa to have to change him."

She took his hand as he picked up Ben's carrier in the other, walking outside.

After getting Ben in the carriage, Spencer had Parker hold on to it while pushing it up to the door. He dug his keycard out of his pocket, handing it to her.

"You remember Daddy's passcode, right?"

She nodded, swiping it and typing it in. "My birthday!"

"Right." He reached over, opening the door and letting her run inside before pushing the carriage in after her.

She instantly ran over to the elevator, pressing the button.

"It's number six when we get in, right, Daddy?"

"Exactly." He pushed the carriage inside and Parker pressed the button. He sent Derek a text, letting him know they were there and telling him to meet him at the elevator when he got off so he could take the kids while he talked to Hotch.

The doors opened and Spencer was glad to see Derek standing there. He handed him the diaper bag, kissing his cheek. "He's going to be up soon and he'll be due for a change. After that? I'm sure he'd love to visit his aunts and uncles."

Derek rolled his eyes, taking Parker's hand. "Come on, Princess. I'm going to have Aunt Penny keep an eye on you while I change the little man."

She pouted. "What about Daddy?"

"He's going to talk to Uncle Aaron about staying home with Benny, like you encouraged him to do. Now come on, I think Aunt Penny will be pleasantly surprised with your visit."

She looked down at herself. "Do you think she'll like my clothes?"

Derek shook his head. "She's going to _love_ them."

She smiled, squeezing his hand and pulling him toward the office.

* * *

Spencer took a deep breath looking into the bullpen. His desk was still empty, waiting for his return that was never going to come. Emily was sitting across from JJ, both of them buried in their work, while Blake was sitting a few desks over from them, most likely working on a new lesson plan. He saw Rossi's door was wide open, showing him practically glaring at his laptop, while Hotch's door was open and he was busy with some form of paperwork. Checking his watch, he saw that it was just minutes before his appointment with him. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the bullpen, past his soon to be former co-workers, and took the few steps, walking to Hotch's office and knocking on the doorframe.

"Who is it?"

Spencer cleared his throat. "It's me."

He looked up at Spencer and gave him a smile before motioning toward the door. "You might want to close that for some privacy, unless you've already broken the news to them."

He shook his head, stepping inside and closing the door behind him, sinking into the seat in front of Hotch's desk. "I haven't. I'd like to discuss it with you before I announce it to them."

"I understand." He closed all of the folders on his desk, stacking them and setting them aside. "Can I ask why you've made this decision? I'm not going to talk you out of it, because I know your mind's made up, but I just want to know where your head's at."

He cleared his throat, straightening in his seat. "The way I see it, it's the best thing for me to do at this point in time. This time around, I've realized that I need to be there for Ben, and he needs me. I thought about coming back, and it just didn't feel right. With Parker, Derek and I weren't exactly an established couple, and I was worried about being on my own if something went wrong, and that's why I went back to work. But with Ben? I have stability and I'm able to make the decision to spend all of my time with him. It just… it feels like the right thing. I'm sorry if I'm letting down the team in any way, but Alex Blake has proven to be a suitable replacement for me, and," he swallowed, "family has to be my priority. I don't know why, but it does."

Instead of trying to talk to him about the decision or say anything to try to convince him to change his mind, Hotch just nodded in agreement. "I understand, and I agree that when you feel family needs to be priority, that's what needs to happen. If you want to change your mind further down the road, there will always be a spot on this team for you."

He smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"Now, do you want to tell the team collectively? I can gather them in the conference room for you, if that would make it easier."

He nodded. "That'd be great, thanks."

JJ looked at her phone, groaning. "Hotch. Just when I thought we were having a nice break from cases."

Emily pointed to the pile of case files on her desk. "Come on, that's just not fair."

She reached over, putting the phone on speaker. "Hotch, you have Emily, Blake, and I."

"Meeting in the BAU room in ten."

She sighed. "We'll be there." Hanging up, she leaned back in her chair. "Fantastic."

"I guess we can't have too much of a good thing," Blake muttered, closing up her case files.

In Garcia's lair, Parker was coloring her a picture while Garcia was holding Ben.

"Oh, look at you, my little macchiato! I could just eat you all up!" She kissed each cheek, smiling when he seemed to smile right back at her. "This visit is just so awesome and the perfect cure for a Wednesday."

Parker held up a paper, showing it to her. "I drew my family for you!"

She reached over, grabbing the paper and pinning it on her corkboard. "This may just be my favorite drawing of yours yet."

When Parker smiled and went back to drawing, Garcia turned to Derek.

"…What?"

"I know Spencer doesn't just do social meetings without a reason. What brings him and the kids here?"

"Ben hadn't seen you guys in a while and he wanted you to have a visit?" he tried.

She shook her head. "I'm no profiler, but I can read you like a book, Derek Morgan."

Her phone started ringing and Derek breathed a sigh of relief.

"This isn't over." She leaned over, pressing speaker. "Yes, boss man?"

"There's a meeting in the BAU room in ten minutes, can you inform Morgan?"

"I can since he's right next to me." She paused. "Nothing's come across my desk. Is there a case?"

"Not quite. See you soon."

She hung up, eyebrow raised. "Well, that's cryptic."

Derek checked his phone and saw a text from Spencer.

_Telling the team in the BAU room in ten. I could really use your help. Office?_

He sighed, looking at Garcia. "Can you bring them to the conference room with you? I need to go talk to Spencer."

Without putting up a fight, she nodded, sitting down and kissing Ben's forehead. "We'll be there, go enjoy some hubby time."

He smiled appreciatively, patting her arm and waving to Parker, before heading down the hallway to his office.

* * *

Derek walked into his office, closing the door behind him and looking at Spencer.

"What's wrong?"

"How do you know something's wrong?"

He held up a finger. "One, I'm married and know you better than you know yourself. Two, you don't send out a distress text if everything's alright."

Spencer smiled slightly, sighing. "I just don't want the team to react negatively, you know? It's my life decision and nothing's going to change it, but it's… they're my family. I don't want them to think I'm abandoning them or anything."

Derek closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around Spencer and kissing his cheek. "Spencer, you don't have to worry. Families understand each other. They'll know why you're doing it and they'll get it. None of them are going to be mad or upset. Is it going to suck not having you on the team anymore? Of course, because we'll be down our awesome resident genius. But we'll make it through. And you'll still see them all the time."

He nodded slightly, wiping his eyes and sighing.

Derek reached up, wiping the last few tears and kissing his forehead. "Come on, Garcia has our children and it's bad enough we have one that's taking after her."

He smirked, following Derek to the BAU room.

"Boy Wonder, it's fantastic to see you in these halls again," Garcia said, pushing in the carriage and setting Parker's things down on the couch, her quickly entertaining herself.

He gave her a smile, squeezing Derek's hand and sitting down with him, waiting for everybody else to gather.

Surprising everyone, as soon as Rossi walked in, he walked over to the carriage and picked up Ben, wrapping him in a blanket and taking his seat. When he noticed them all looking at him, he shrugged. "What? It's not like we're doing a briefing with two kids in the room. And if we are, that's very questionable parenting on their part."

JJ walked past Spencer, squeezing his shoulder and taking her seat.

When Hotch finally walked in, Spencer took a deep breath, squeezing Derek's hand one last time and standing up at the head of the table.

"…What's going on?" Emily asked, looking over at Derek, who didn't give her any form of reaction.

"The last time we had an announcement like this, Derek told us that 187 was pregnant." She gasped. "Do tell me there's another perfect little Morgan gem coming!"

Derek shook his head. "Sorry, Baby Girl. Two is our magic number."

She frowned, leaning back in her seat.

Hotch cleared his throat. "Reid has something he'd like to tell the team, and we figured this was the best outlet for it."

Spencer saw all of the attention shift to him and, though he was appreciative, it made him extremely nervous. It didn't matter that this was his family: he'd never be comfortable in any form of public speaking setting.

"Spence?" JJ asked.

He sighed, gripping the back of one of the chairs. "Hotch called this meeting because there's something I need to tell this team. And, as my team and my family, I need you to respect my decision."

"…Okay, Reid. We're all ears," Blake said, elbows resting on the table.

He smiled appreciatively, taking a few breaths before looking up at the team. "I've made the decision that when my leave is up next week, I'm going to stay home with Ben." When there wasn't any sort of reaction, he continued. "I've realized that it's what would truly make me happy at this point in my life, and I hope you all understand that."

He dared to look up at them again and saw an array of reactions. Rossi seemed to be speechless, focusing all of his attention on the infant in his arms. Garcia's face had fallen and showed a front of pure confusion. Blake, as the newest member of the team, didn't seem to know how to react, but gave him a nod to show that he understood. He turned to Emily, who just seemed to be gaping at him.

"You're not going to work anymore?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

He shook his head. "I'm going to see if I can find something to do at home, but I won't be a part of the BAU, unless by some miracle there's a way I can do this job from there."

Garcia turned to Hotch. "He did it when he was pregnant a few months back. I could find a way to split my workload between the two of us so he's still on the team."

"This is Reid's decision, and we need to respect that. If at some point in time, he decides to go that route, we'll work with him."

He smiled appreciatively. "And this isn't goodbye forever. I'll still visit with the kids and see you guys when you get back from cases. I promise."

Garcia was the first to get up, walking over and wrapping her arms around him. "Take care of yourself, Boy Wonder. And my little macchiato. If he's going to be your full time gig, I expect every single hair on his head to be in place, not a single one in disarray, do you understand me?"

He smiled, nodding. "I promise," he whispered in her ear, rubbing her back. "And I still expect visits from Aunt Penny every week, if not more often."

"You bet." She pulled back, patting his cheek. "_I_ promise."

Emily was next, walking up and sighing. "Not a damn thing I can say to change your mind, is there?"

He shook his head slightly. "Sorry."

She swatted at his arm before pulling him into a hug. "Way to warn me that you're abandoning me in the bullpen, you jerk."

When he saw the genuine smile on her face, he shrugged, rubbing her back.

He said a goodbye to Blake, and told her to enjoy the team as much as he had over the years.

JJ walked up, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a hug, much tighter than he'd anticipated. "I want you to be happy, you hear me? I don't want you to second guess yourself and I want you to be proud of your decision, okay?"

He nodded, patting her back and lowering his voice. "I promise, and the second it doesn't feel right, I'll talk to you."

"And I'll still be here for your babysitting needs: I'm still going to need my Ben and Parker fixes."

"You'll get them, along with your daily pictures."

Rossi handed Ben to JJ, walking up and patting Spencer's arm. "Take care of yourself, kiddo."

"Don't you mean take care of the kids?"

He shook his head. "I mean take care of yourself. I know you're more than capable of watching them, but I want you to look out for yourself."

"I promise, Uncle Rossi," he said, smiling at the older man.

Rossi smirked, patting his cheek. "And I expect updates on that godson of mine."

"And I won't deprive of you of his first Sinatra experience."

"Good." He saw the smile on Rossi's face and went in for a hug, which was quickly returned.

Soon after, Spencer pulled back, sighing. "I need to get these little ones home. Everyone, enjoy the rest of your day."

"We will, Spence," JJ told him, buckling Ben back into his carrier and tucking the diaper bag underneath.

Derek got Parker ready to leave and had her say her goodbyes to all of her aunts and uncles. After doing so, he walked Spencer out to the elevators, rubbing his back.

"Feeling okay?"

He nodded, looking him in the eyes. "I know I did the right thing."

"I do too." He kissed the top of Spencer's head. "I'll see you tonight."

The elevator doors opened and Spencer stepped inside, making sure that Parker followed.

* * *

The first couple of days that his leave was up, Spencer would gladly admit that it felt weird. Derek would get ready for work in the morning and get Parker ready for preschool while he took care of Ben, and he'd spend his entire day at home. He'd do anything he could think of to occupy his time, such as reading or watching something on television. There were several points in the day where he would want to reach over and grab the phone, calling Derek to ask how work was, or see if he needed any help with something. Right before doing so, he'd realize that work wasn't his problem anymore and sigh, leaning back on the couch and closing his eyes. Soon after, Ben would wake up and all thoughts of work were instantly erased. When he would spend time with Ben, the work world didn't exist. There was no job that he was leaving behind, and there were no unsubs to think about or file paperwork on. Instead, his only concerns were making faces with Ben and finding new ways to keep his attention. In moments like that, he knew he made the right decision.

On the other hand, Derek would gladly admit that he was distracted at work. He'd been looking forward to Spencer coming back and commuting in with him again. When Spencer had told him that he wasn't coming back to work, he wanted to say something: he wanted to argue with him that it wasn't the best decision, and sitting at home would be the worst thing for him. Rather than doing that and ending up in a fight, he let it happen, because what mattered most wasn't what he wanted – it was what would make Spencer the happiest. He couldn't spend all of his time at home with Ben, so he was happy that at least one of them could.

There was a knock on the door and he looked up at it, shifting his attention from the case file. "It's open."

Garcia walked in, closing the door behind her. "So, this is actually happening? He's not coming back?"

He nodded. "He's really happy sitting at home with Ben. I'll call and check in on him and he'll be in the middle of reading him a story or watching a kids' TV show. Not to mention that he loves being the one to pick Parker up from preschool right when it lets out every single day. He's there for both of them and I don't know why, but it's what he wants out of life right now."

She sat down in the chair in front of his desk. "But he's Spencer Reid, my favorite Boy Wonder. He loves working and solving crimes and kicking ass and rambling until his heart's content. How is it that he can just not do that anymore and be happy about it?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's been three days and I expected him to crack after two. I think with Ben, he knew that he had the option to stay home, so he took it. I miss him just as much as you guys, and I still see him every night when I get home. I know that the first case we have with his leave being up is going to go one of two ways: he's going to shrug it off and be fine with us going at it without him, or he's going to try to inject himself into the investigation. However, I don't think that's enough to make him come back."

She frowned, looking up at him. "Do you think he ever will?"

"I don't know, maybe? We'll just have to see how it plays out."

* * *

It wasn't until a few days later that the team was called out on a case. Derek sent Spencer a text to let him know that he was picking up Parker at preschool and would be at the house soon to pack up his go-bag. On the drive back to the house, Parker looked up at him in the mirror.

"Papa, are you going to save the world again?"

He smiled. "You could say that. You're going to spend a few days with just Daddy and Benny, so I'm going to need you to be a really good girl while I'm gone, okay?"

"I can do that." She was silent for a minute before looking again. "Papa?"

"Yeah, Princess?"

"…Is Daddy happy?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't see why not. He gets to spend all of his time with the two of you and not have to do this 'saving the world' stuff anymore."

"He liked saving the world though!" she argued. "A lot. He liked getting bad guys and helping people."

"Well, now he just spends all of his time helping you and Ben," he said, shrugging slightly.

She pouted. "I miss seeing Uncle Will and Penny a lot."

He paused before turning around to face her while at a red light. "I promise, you'll still see them."

She sighed, shrugging and looking out the window.

He walked into the house, Parker running to her room and setting her backpack down.

"Spencer?" he called out.

Spencer walked out of the nursery, finger to his lips. "So help me God, Derek, if you wake him, you're taking him to Minnesota with you."

"I take it today is a no nap day?" he asked, walking toward the bedroom.

He nodded. "He decided naps are overrated and being grumpy was the way to go."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He tilted Spencer's chin up, kissing him softly. He pulled back, looking him in the eyes. "You going to be okay while I'm gone?"

"Of course. Now come on, you have a go-bag to pack."

While Derek packed, Spencer leaned against the headboard. "So, what is it?"

He looked out to the living room and saw Parker with her coloring book on the couch. "Serial rapist, three female victims, all in their mid to late twenties, impossible to be surrogates because they all have completely different physical features. They're violated multiple times then killed by a single stab wound through the heart."

Spencer clicked his tongue, folding one of Derek's shirts and putting it into his bag. "You'll want Garcia to look into their pasts, be sure they were never in the same school, club, or any form of organization."

"Got it." He unplugged his tablet, putting the plug and the tablet itself into his bag.

"And the credit card receipts: even if they weren't affiliated with the same groups of people? They could've shopped or eaten at the same place and that's where the unsub targeted them." He took out his phone, texting Garcia.

"Spencer?" he asked after the message was sent.

"Hm?"

He took the phone, setting it on his nightstand. "This isn't your job. I need you to focus on Ben and Parker, not this psycho in a different state. Understand?"

He sighed, nodding. "Do you need a ride to the strip?"

He zipped up his bag. "I'll drive." He leaned over, kissing him. After pulling back, he cupped his cheek. "I love you."

Smiling slightly, Spencer rested his hand on Derek's. "I love you too. Be safe."

"I will." He kissed his forehead. "So, how much will you murder me if I go kiss Ben goodbye?"

"Murder you? Zero. But I stand by what I said – if he wakes up, he goes to Minnesota."

"I'll be careful," he assured him, tiptoeing into the nursery. He leaned down, kissing Ben softly on the forehead. "I love you, little man," he whispered, fixing the blanket wrapped around him and walking out, closing the door behind him.

"Well?" Spencer asked.

"Still fast asleep. I'm going to send you an invite on the tablet tonight so I can see them. Even if they're asleep by then-"

Spencer held up a hand, silencing him. "Say no more. I promise."

He smiled appreciatively, walking out to the living room and squatting in front of the couch. "Hey, Princess. Papa's got to head out for work."

She closed her coloring book, leaning over and wrapping her arms around his neck, squeezing as tightly as she could. "Be good, Papa. I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed the top of her head, rubbing her back. "I'm going to miss you, and I want you on your best behavior, okay?"

She pulled back, holding up her pinky, which he wrapped his around. "See you soon, Papa."

"See you soon, Princess." He got up, turning to Spencer, who wrapped his arms around him. He leaned closer to his ear, whispering. "I love you, Pretty Boy."

He smiled against his shoulder. "I love you too."

He picked up his go-bag off of the floor, waving to the two of them before walking out, closing the door behind him.

When he got to the jet, he realized that he and JJ were the first two there. He put his bag into the overhead and sat beside her, exhaling.

"So how's he taking the whole 'not going on the case' thing?"

He shrugged. "Considering he was ready to give me all sorts of hints toward the profile and finding the guy? I'm going with 'not well'."

She smiled slightly. "We could've predicted that."

"Not to mention he was about ready to tear my head off because Ben was _not_ having naptime today."

"He probably realizes that something's off," she suggested. "I'm sure things will be back to some sort of normalcy in no time."

"Yeah, whatever 'normalcy' is in my family."

She laughed to herself, patting his arm and picking up the case file in front of her.

* * *

Derek had been gone for a couple of days and the only thing Spencer found difficult was getting himself and Ben ready to drop off Parker in the morning. Garcia had offered to come by and take her, but he decided that it would be best if he did it. He buckled Ben into his carseat, kissing his forehead and clipping toys to the handle.

"Hey, buddy, I know you're used to sleeping right now, but I just need you to sleep in the car while Daddy drives your sister to school. Then you can come home and sleep all you want, I promise."

When Ben whimpered, he sighed, digging into his coat pocket and pulling out a pacifier, putting it into his mouth and rubbing his arm.

"It's okay, buddy, it's just twenty minutes."

Parker buckled herself in, reaching over and holding Ben's hand. "I got Benny, Daddy. You just drive."

He smiled, leaning over and kissing her forehead. "Thank you, Princess." He set the diaper bag on the floor in front of Ben and got in, starting the car.

Once at Parker's preschool, he parked the car, turning to her. "I'm going to stay right here and watch you walk in, okay?"

She nodded, letting go of Ben's hand and unbuckling herself, picking up her backpack. She leaned forward, whispering in his ear. "Benny's asleep, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her cheek. "I'll see you at 2:00, okay?"

She gave him a thumbs up, putting on her backpack. "Tell Benny I love him when he gets up."

"I promise."

She smiled, picking up her lunchbox and getting out of the car, running inside and turning to wave to him before closing the door.

When he got home, he left Ben in his carrier, seeing it as safer than moving him into the crib and risking him getting upset. He sat on the couch with a cup of coffee beside him, a blanket over him as he flipped through the channels. His phone started ringing and he reached over, answering it.

"Hello?" he whispered, fixing the blanket and muting the TV.

"I take it the little man is sleeping?"

"Mhm. He fell asleep in his carseat and I didn't dare to move him."

"I can imagine."

There was silence for a minute before Spencer cleared his throat. "What's the progress on the case?"

"Well, based on your hunches before I left? Garcia was able to find a connection between our victims: they all belong to the same health club, so we've been talking to employees and looking into vendors who frequent the place."

He smiled slightly. "I'm glad I could help."

"We're glad you could help. Have you talked to Garcia?"

He nodded, though the gesture was pointless. "She said that you guys are heading home in the morning because of a bad storm, and she's stopping by for dinner tonight. I think it has less to do with dinner and more to do with her having presents for the kids and not wanting to say it outright."

"That sounds like her. When the little man wakes up, send me an invite on the tablet, okay?"

"I think I can take care of that." He ran a hand through his hair, biting his lip. "Is there anything else going on there?"

"Spencer-"

"I know, I know, it's not my job anymore. But I have a couple of hours before the Game Show Network stops showing infomercials and there's no news to keep my interest. Not to mention I can't make a run to the bookstore with the carriage because the aisles don't accommodate them, even though they claim they do. Therefore, my options are rereading something I've already read or flipping through the channels idly as I was before you called."

Derek sighed. "We're just waiting for Garcia to get back to us and we'll get the guy."

"Was he a thirty-something year old white introverted male with limited to no social interaction in his everyday life?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

He heard Ben whimpering and sighed. "I've got a grumpy guy looking for a diaper change. Once he's un-grumpy, I'll let you see him, okay?"

"Sounds good. I love you."

"Love you too." He hung up, taking a deep breath, before reaching down and unbuckling Ben.

"How's he doing?" Emily asked.

"Misses the job, but he's enjoying the down time with Ben. The time when Ben's sleeping is boring him a little, but that's expected really. He likes being home for the kids and, unfortunately, I can't do anything to change his mind."

JJ reached over, rubbing his back. "We miss him too, Derek."

A few minutes later, a notification went off on Derek's tablet. He reached over, answering the call and seeing Ben sucking on his thumb. Smiling, he waved to the camera.

"Hi, Ben. Are you being a good boy for your Daddy while Papa's working?"

Emily peeked over his shoulder, gasping. "Hey, Ben. Look at you, you look so happy!"

"You'd be happy too if you just got a diaper change and a bath, and as a result, a wardrobe change."

"When did he start on the thumb?" JJ asked.

"About a week ago, and he hasn't stopped, no matter how much I wish he would," Spencer told her.

Rossi shrugged. "I wouldn't be too concerned about it now. If he's seven and still sucking on his thumb, then I'd be worried."

Spencer laughed to himself as Ben held his head up. Derek gasped. "There we go, little man! Good job!"

Spencer leaned over, kissing his forehead. "Great job, Ben. Thank you for doing that so your Papa could see."

Derek looked up at the clock. "We're expecting a call any minute, Spencer, so I'm gonna have to disconnect. We'll do it again tonight before bedtime?"

"That sounds like a plan." He got up, sitting beside Ben. "Call me when you're on your way home tomorrow, okay?"

"Will do, love you."

He smiled. "Love you too." He held Ben's hand up, waving to Derek.

Derek waved before disconnecting, setting his tablet down.

"It doesn't take a profiler to realize that he misses the job," JJ pointed out.

He shrugged. "But he likes staying home. I'm not going to force him to do anything he doesn't want."

* * *

That night, Garcia came ove and made dinner for her, Spencer, and Parker. She even volunteered to feed Ben and put him down while Spencer had a moment to himself. She walked out to the kitchen, making the plates and setting them on the table.

"Dinner is served, my lovelies," she announced, sitting down.

Spencer looked at Parker, patting her arm. "Go wash your hands, Princess."

She nodded, walking to the bathroom.

"So, 187, it's been a week and a half since I've seen your face," she said as he sat down.

"I'm really sorry," he apologized, pouring himself a glass of juice and filling Parker's cup. "I had to take Ben to the doctor last week because he wasn't napping and being extremely fussy, and all of my focus was on him kicking the cold he had. I promise, we'll be back soon."

Parker ran out, holding up her hands. "All clean, Daddy. See?"

"Yes I do, now come on. Sit down and eat this awesome food Penny cooked for us."

"Pleasure was all mine, mes amis."

While they were eating, Garcia looked across the table at Parker. "Did you have fun at school today?"

"Uh huh. I wrote my name. And Benny's name too."

She raised her eyebrows. "That is _awesome_. Do you think you can tackle 'Penny' next?"

"I can! I did Daddy and Papa before, it's your turn! I did JJ too, but that's 'cause it's one letter two times."

"Can't argue with that."

Spencer looked at Parker, pointing a finger at her. "No talking with your mouth full."

She blushed, mumbling a sorry, before taking another bite of her food.

"Boy Wonder, do you need to talk about anything?"

He paused, clicking his tongue. "After little ears have talked to their Papa and they're fast asleep?"

"Indeedy, I have nowhere else to be."

He smiled appreciatively, finishing his food.

* * *

After dinner, Derek called on the tablet. Since Ben was already asleep, he talked to Parker about anything and everything.

"What did you have for dinner tonight?"

"Sketti and meatballs. It was really yummy – Penny made it!"

"Oh did she? Did Penny save any for me?"

Garcia smiled, leaning over. "Sugar, there's a plate well preserved in the fridge for you."

"That's what I love about you, momma. I'll see you tomorrow morning when I get to work?"

"You bet, I'll put on the coffee."

Spencer smiled, pulling Parker into his lap. "Derek, as much as I'd like to keep this going, I have a three year old who needs to get herself in bed or she's going to miss story time."

Parker looked around the tablet, checking the time and gasping. "Papa, I love you, it's story time!"

"I love you too, Princess. Spencer, I'll call you later tonight. I love you. And tell Ben I love him whenever he may wake up."

"I promise I will. Love you too."

Parker blew a kiss to the screen and looked at Spencer. "I'll be in bed!"

"I'll be there in a minute."

She ran to her bedroom and Spencer watched as she climbed on the bed, smiling to himself. "She's got the turtle at the ready, I think that's a sign."

"She's still 'the turtle'? Three years in and that thing still doesn't have a name?" Garcia asked.

Derek shook his head. "Oh, we tried. All she's determined is that it is a girl turtle and she's too cool for a name."

"I knew I liked that spunky little one!"

Spencer laughed to himself. "Derek, I'll call you before bed. I love you and I'll see you tomorrow after you get back."

"I love you too."

Derek disconnected and Garcia turned to Spencer. "Go get story time out of the way, I'll be waiting right here when you're done."

Spencer walked out of Parker's room twenty minutes later, quietly closing the door behind him.

"What was our story of choice tonight?"

He sat down on the couch beside her. "Beauty and the Beast… again. It's at the point where she can recite parts to me, and yet I still have to read it at least once a week."

She shrugged. "Your kid has great taste." She reached over, running a hand through his hair. "Now, come on, tell me what's going on in that big ol' brain of yours."

He smiled slightly, looking up at her. "I'm just thinking."

"Yeah, I know that much. About what?"

He cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. "If staying home with Ben was really the best decision I could've made."

"Oh, sweetie. Why the doubt?" she asked, rubbing his arm.

"I just, I don't know. Originally, it seemed like the best idea. I could spend all my time with Ben and not miss a first or anything else important, and just make him my top priority, not that he wasn't but I didn't want work to get in the way. But now? It just feels weird."

"Have you tried talking to Derek?"

He shook his head slightly. "He was really supportive of this decision and I don't want him to know about this."

"Consider my lips sealed but, honey? You're Spencer Reid. You're used to working long days, coming home, seeing your kids smiling at you, and that erases everything bad that you had to look at," she reasoned.

"I am, but now that I'm home with Ben? I feel like a horrible father. There are points where he cries and I just don't know what to do and I panic. I never had this with Parker and it's scary." He raised his eyebrows, sighing. "I'm supposed to be the person with all of the answers, and I can't even think of how to stop my son from crying."

She pulled him closer, rubbing his back. "That doesn't make you a horrible father, that makes you human." She kissed the top of his head. "The Spencer Reid I know? He's going to analyze this decision, and if it wasn't the best, he's going to shrug it off and say he at least gave it a try. If he decides it was? He's going to find his answers and be the most badass stay-at-home dad out there."

He smirked, reaching up and wiping his eyes. "Thank you, Garcia."

"Anytime you need a rant and you think your baby daddy can't handle it or is just going to interrupt you every time you try to talk like he tends to do when you're in such a situation? Give me a call."

"I might hold you to that."

* * *

He stayed up talking to Garcia for a few hours, until she decided to go home and get a good night's sleep after the case taking its toll on her sleep schedule. After changing into his pajamas, he checked the clock and got into bed, grabbing his phone and calling Derek.

"Are the little guy and Princess asleep?"

He laughed softly. "Hello to you too, loving husband. I'm great, how are you?"

Derek mock laughed. "Hello, sweetheart, how are you doing? I'm fine. Now that we're over that, how's my little guy?"

He laid down, curling up on his side. "He's still asleep. I think he's kicking whatever's left of that cold that had him crying so much."

"Well that's good. And the Princess?"

"She fell asleep during story time, so I have a feeling you'll be reading Beauty and the Beast to her again tomorrow."

"Looking forward to it. What about you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

He took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "I'm fine, really. It's just been a long day and I miss having company at night."

"I can relate to that. It's just not the same sleeping in a hotel bed without my little space heater next to me."

"I'm sure that's all you miss about me," Spencer joked.

Derek chuckled. "I'm not falling into that trick, Spencer. I know better."

"At least you've learned."

"You sound tired… why don't I let you get some sleep before the little man has you up in a few hours and I'll talk to you after I land?"

"That sounds fantastic." He yawned, pulling the blankets up. "I love you, Derek."

"Love you too, Pretty Boy. Sweet dreams."

He smiled, hanging up and plugging his phone in.

* * *

The following morning, the team got the earliest possible time they could to head back to Quantico. They were all sitting on the jet, hoping to get a little more shut eye before they had to go to work for the rest of the day. Derek leaned back in his seat, looking around at the jet. Pretty much everyone was asleep except for himself, JJ, and Hotch. JJ sat across from him, talking to her nanny on the phone, while Hotch was sitting at one of the seats in the back of the jet, on the phone. Once JJ hung up, he nudged her arm.

She glanced up at him. "What?"

He motioned toward Hotch. "Any idea what's going on? He's been on the phone since before we left."

She turned around, shrugging. "Maybe it's work related and we can't know about it?"

"I really hope it's not another case. I think I owe the kids at least one day with their Papa before he takes off again. Plus I think Spencer could use a bit of a break."

She smiled. "I thought he was loving the stay-at-home gig?"

"Oh, he is, but he's learning just how trying it is. Believe me, though, he prefers it to the BAU. Spending day and night with his son or looking at pictures of mutilated bodies? It's no competition."

"I guess so." She took a quick glance at Hotch. "_Something_ is going on."

"So long as I still have a job and get a few nights home before we have to go after our next unsub? I couldn't care less." He sighed. "I'm going to get a little bit of sleep before I have to spend the rest of the day fighting to keep my eyes open at my desk. You should probably do the same."

She nodded. "Good luck."

"Likewise."

When they all made it back to the BAU, they stood in the elevator, leaning against the walls and hoping for a few more seconds of sleep to grasp onto. The doors opened and they stepped out, each going to their respective desks, except for Derek, who made a beeline for the coffee machine.

"Fresh pot should be ready in about five minutes."

He raised an eyebrow, turning around and facing Spencer. "…Where's Ben?"

He checked his watch and thought to himself. "Down for a nap." He picked up a stack of folders, walking to his desk and setting them down.

JJ gasped. "Spence!" She walked over, wrapping her arms around him. "How have you been?"

"Tired," he admitted, leaning against his desk. "A two and a half month old doesn't make for a good night's sleep."

"Oh, I remember." She rubbed his back. "Where is the little guy anyway?"

He smiled slightly. "Daycare."

Derek looked at him. "_What_?"

He turned to face him, taking a deep breath. "I thought I belonged at home with Ben, but the truth is I belong here… with the team. Does it suck not being able to hear him breathing every single second of my day? Yes, but I need to have faith that Catherine's going to be as great with him as he was with Parker."

"So, just like that, you're back?" Emily asked, crossing her arms and leaning against her own desk.

He shook his head. "Not completely. I made an agreement with Hotch. Four day work weeks and only going on cases when absolutely necessary until I'm comfortable with the idea of coming back full time. That way I have _some_ extra time at home with the kids, and I still have my job."

Emily patted his arm. "It's great to have you back."

"It's good to _be_ back."

Garcia walked over, handing him a coffee. "May I present to you your 'welcome back to us, oh smart one' present : your favorite coffee, four sugars, in a Doctor Who travel mug – Fourth Doctor, as he is your favorite."

He smiled, taking a sip. "Thank you for talking me into coming to work this morning."

"You didn't need me to talk you into it, you just needed a little push," she said, nudging him and winking. She then turned to Derek. "Leave your office door open. My little genius is going to need a vent session or two with you."

He saluted her. "Will do, momma."

She kissed her hand, placing it on Spencer's cheek, before turning back to the lair.

Later that day, Spencer walked into Derek's office, sitting in front of his desk.

Derek immediately put down his case file, closing it and looking at Spencer. "You miss him, don't you?"

He nodded, wiping his eyes and sighing. "I've been back at work for two hours and I'm already like this."

"You were just like this when you went back with Parker. Trust me, it's normal."

He exhaled, reaching for Derek's phone.

"Calling Catherine?"

"Mhm." He dialed the number, putting it on speaker.

"Hello?"

He sighed. "Hi, Catherine. It's Spencer, I'm sorry, I know you're doing a great job, but can you just assure me that he's doing okay?"

"Ben is an absolute delight, just like his sister. Right before he went down for his nap, he enjoyed some music and story time, and he really liked tummy time."

"Yeah, that's one of his favorites at home." He bit his lip. "This is going to sound ridiculous, but can I hear him?"

"Of course, it's not ridiculous at all."

He heard some shuffling and then the sound of Ben snoring softly. Wiping his eyes, he smiled. "Thank you, Catherine. I'll be there to get him at 5:00."

"We'll see you then."

He hung up, looking at Derek. "I'm sorry for bothering you, I-"

Derek reached over, cupping a hand over his mouth. "When it comes to you or our kids, it's not a bother, I promise. Do you need to stay in here for a few minutes?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "I need to get back to work, give me something to distract myself." Getting up, he leaned over, giving Derek a quick kiss. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Spencer."

He smiled slightly, walking back out to the bullpen.

This agreement seemed to be the greatest thing for their family. Spencer had a long weekend every weekend, where he was able to spend time with Ben and Parker. When Spencer went on cases, Parker got time with Papa, as well as seeing Aunt Penny. With this arrangement, Spencer witnessed most of Ben's first, and even did a lot of them with Derek right there with him. It wasn't until Ben was three and insisted on it that Spencer finally went back to work full time, in order to catch the villains and be a real superhero, a storyline he could thank Aunt Penny and her love of comic books for. Even though staying home did seem ideal, what he really needed was the ability to trust: trusting that he could juggle work and parenting, trust that someone else could take care of Ben, and trusting Derek to know when everything was too much for him. Luckily, all three came through, and he finally felt like himself again.


	7. Ben's Sick Day

**Author's Note:** Derek stays home with Ben when he's sick, but Spencer realizes it's more than just a cold.

* * *

Spencer and Derek were both fast asleep when the bed dipped between them. Spencer rolled over to see Ben, curling up between them and whimpering. He sighed, rubbing his back.

"Are you okay, Ben?" he whispered, his voice raspy.

He whimpered, shaking his head and sniffing.

He reached over, turning on the lamp on his nightstand and sitting up. "What's wrong?"

Ben sat in his father's lap, curling up. "I don't feel good."

He looked over at the clock and saw that it was just after 1:00 a.m. "How long have you not been feeling good, buddy?"

"Bedtime."

He frowned, running a hand through Ben's hair and kissing his forehead. "Do you want to sleep in here with Daddy and Papa tonight, see if that helps?"

"Uh huh."

He turned off the lamp, setting Ben on the bed and lying back down. Ben curled up beside him and Spencer wrapped an arm around him, rubbing his back.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," he mumbled.

Spencer shook his head. "Don't apologize for not feeling good, it's not your fault."

"But I woke you up."

He rubbed circles on his back. "It's part of a Daddy's job."

Not long after, Ben fell asleep and Derek looked at Spencer, raising an eyebrow. "When did he show up?"

"About ten minutes ago," he whispered, "he doesn't feel good and didn't want to wake us."

"Think he'll feel better in the morning?"

He shrugged. "There's only one way to find out."

The next morning, Spencer was in the kitchen making breakfast while Derek had the task of getting the kids to wake up. Both of them were taking after Spencer, in the sense that they never wanted to leave their bed. Derek walked to Parker's room, sitting beside her and rubbing her back.

"Parker, time for school."

She groaned, pulling the blankets over her head.

He rolled his eyes. "There's pancakes."

Those always seemed to be the magic words, making her spring up in bed. "Be right there!"

He smiled, shaking his head and walking to his bedroom, sitting beside Ben.

"Come on, little man, school's waiting."

Ben sat up in bed, squinting and rubbing his eyes. "Do I have to go?"

Derek raised an eyebrow. "_You_ don't want to go to school? Call the press."

Ben looked up at him, confused, before curling up again.

Derek pressed the back of his hand against Ben's forehead, frowning. "You're not feeling good today, are you, bud?"

Ben shook his head, moving over and leaning against his father's side. "Daddy's gonna be mad."

"Why?"

"'Cause I'm missing school," he mumbled.

He picked him up, kissing the top of his head. "I can _promise_ you that won't happen, come on." He walked out to the kitchen, rubbing his back and leaning against the counter.

"Parker, if you're not out here in the next two minutes to eat your breakfast, it's going in the garbage and you're eating toast," Spencer called out, making her a plate and setting it on the table. "Don't make me start counting down."

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she yelled, running out of her room and sitting down at the table.

Spencer turned around to face Derek. "What's wrong?"

"Little man's still not feeling good, and he's running a fever."

He walked over, pressing the back of his hand to his forehead and sighing. "You okay, Ben?"

He shook his head, whimpering and resting his head on Derek's shoulder.

"What hurts?" he asked, after grabbing the thermometer and cold medicine from the bathroom cabinet.

"My tummy."

Spencer frowned. "I'm sure." He put the thermometer into Ben's ear, waiting for it to beep. When it did, he pulled it out and checked the temperature.

"I'm sorry I'm missing school, Daddy," he mumbled.

Spencer smirked, kissing Ben's forehead. "It's okay, buddy, I'm not mad." He then looked at Derek. "Do you want to stay home with him, or should I?"

"You took Parker's flu, I think it's only fair I take this one."

He nodded, turning to face Parker. "Get your things ready for school, we're leaving in five minutes."

She saluted him before running to her room, closing the door.

Derek sat on the couch, lying Ben down and putting a blanket over him. Spencer sat at Ben's head, rubbing his back.

"Are you going to be good for Papa today?"

He nodded, holding up his pinky, and Spencer smiled, wrapping his around it. He then bent down, kissing his forehead and rubbing his back. "If you want to talk to Daddy at all today, just have Papa call me, okay?"

"Uh huh."

He smirked, kissing Derek's cheek. "Let me know if his fever breaks."

"I will. Can you tell Hotch I'm not coming in today?"

"I can handle that." He rubbed Ben's back one last time before patting it, grabbing the car keys and getting up.

"Is Benny okay?" Parker asked, putting on her backpack and grabbing her lunch box off of the counter.

Spencer nodded, putting his bag on his shoulder. "He's not feeling good today, so Papa's going to take care of him while you go to school and I go to work. Now are you ready to go?"

She put up a finger, walking over and fixing the blanket over Ben, kissing the top of his head. "Feel better, Benny."

He gave her a thumbs up and Derek smiled. "Have fun at school today, Princess."

She hugged him. "I will. Take good care of Benny."

"Promise." He kissed the top of her head and she followed Spencer outside, closing the door behind her.

* * *

After arriving at work, Spencer walked to his desk, setting down his bag and coffee before sitting down. Garcia walked up a few minutes later, leaning against his desk.

"What, there's no hot stuff this morning?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Ben came in our room running a fever after midnight, and it wasn't much better this morning."

She frowned. "Poor baby. Is he okay?"

"He has the fever and a headache. He's probably in my room, cuddled up with his Papa right now – Derek volunteered to stay home with him, because I stayed home with Parker when she had that nasty flu."

"Did you take him to the doctor?"

"It's not that bad as of right now, but if he gets worse, or he's sick again tomorrow? We're going to take him." He saw the look in her eyes. "He's in a small now, and he's still obsessed with dinosaurs."

"Thank you, 187." She ruffled his hair. "Don't forget to call the school and let them know he's not coming in."

He opened his mouth to respond, but held up his finger. "And this is why you're my favorite." He picked up the phone, dialing the school. "Hi, this is Spencer Morgan, Parker and Benjamin's father? Yeah, his sister's going to be there today, she's already on the playground with her friends, but Ben's home sick today." He laughed. "Yeah, trust me, he's not too happy about missing it either. Hopefully he'll be back tomorrow. Thank you." He hung up, leaning back in his chair. "Hotch in yet?"

She shook her head. "You beat him in this morning, so you can get a start on those files on your desk, maybe even leave early to get home to your sick little man."

He picked up a case file. "You know me well."

A while later, Spencer's phone rang and he reached over, answering it. "Spencer Reid."

"Don't you mean Spencer _Morgan_?"

He smirked, sitting up. "How's my little guy doing?"

"I got him to eat some eggs for breakfast, but he ended up getting sick."

Spencer frowned. "Did you-"

"I gave him a bath afterward, he's had his medicine, and now he's asleep with Clooney on our bed."

He smiled to himself. "Our bed?"

"I put him in his own, but he said sleeping in ours would make him feel better. I figured you wouldn't mind."

"How's his fever?"

Derek sighed. "He's a little warmer than he was this morning. If he's not better by tomorrow morning-"

"We'll take him to the doctor," Spencer finished.

"I already called."

"What did she say?"

"She said that so long as the fever doesn't get higher and the symptoms stay the same, he's fine for now, but I should bring him in the morning if he's still sick, just in case."

He nodded, impressed. "So he's asleep now?"

"Yeah, finally. We played dinosaurs before he got sick, and he insisted that he had to have them in the bath and play with them after."

"And being the sucker you are, you fell for it?"

Derek scoffed. "Excuse me? When Parker was sick, you let her run this house."

"I resent that."

"Yeah, I'm sure you do. Did you tell Hotch?"

"Yeah, let me know if he gets worse?"

"I can do that." He walked to the bedroom, sitting beside Ben and leaning down, kissing his forehead. "We'll probably see you soon."

Spencer smiled. "Probably. I love you."

"Love you too."

He hung up, leaning back in his seat and sighing.

"Everything okay on the home front?" Emily asked.

He shook his head. "Your godson ventured into our bed at one in the morning, and he's been feeling bad since then: fever, stomach ache, vomiting… I just feel bad that I'm here while Derek's taking care of him."

"Sounds familiar."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"When your daughter was sick for three days? Derek was kicking himself in the ass for working while you two were home."

He smiled slightly. "Really? Because Derek said he was handling it just fine-"

"Well Derek's a liar."

"I figured." He looked at his pile of case files, chewing on his cheek.

"What is it?"

He shrugged. "I'm just thinking. I have ten files left, and if I time it right, I can get them done in time to pick up Parker from school and spend the rest of the day with Ben-"

"Reid?"

He looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Go tell Hotch you're cutting out of here at 2:00, he's not going to care."

"Are you sure he won't-"

"He has a soft spot for you when it comes to your kids, and he knows how important it is for a kid to have their parent around when they need them. Trust me when I say he's probably going to try to convince you to go home earlier than that."

He thought about it before getting up from his desk, walking up the stairs and knocking.

"Come in."

He opened the door and stepped inside, clearing his throat. "Do you have a minute?"

Hotch closed the file on his desk, motioning for Spencer to sit down.

He took the seat in front of Hotch's desk. "I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Personally or professionally?"

"As my boss."

"What is it?"

He shifted. "As you know, Derek's home with Ben right now, and he's running a pretty high fever. I was wondering if I were to finish my case files, if I could leave early? Probably around 2:00, so I could pick up Parker at school and spend the rest of the day home with Ben. If not, I understand-"

Hotch put up a hand to silence him. "It's no problem, Reid. How's he doing?"

He exhaled. "I just got a call from Derek checking in and he's sleeping now, but he's still got a fever and he ended up getting sick. We're both hoping he sleeps off whatever it is but," he shrugged, "you never really know."

"That you don't. You can leave early today, there aren't any cases that automatically need our attention. If either of you need to take tomorrow, just let me know."

"Yes, sir." He stood up. "Do you need anything else?"

"I need you to finish your work so you can get home to your son."

Spencer paused before nodding and walking out to his desk, sitting down.

"How did it go?" Emily asked, smirking.

He rolled his eyes. "You, Emily Prentiss, were right."

"I don't think I could ever tire of hearing that from the great Doctor Reid – I'm sorry, _Morgan_. The last time I called you Reid in front of your daughter, I got the stink eye."

He smiled, opening his case file. "What can I say? She's a feisty one."

Spencer had finished his work early, and after checking in with Hotch, was on his way to pick up Parker at school. Once he called the school to let them know, he pressed the button, waiting for the elevator. He saw Garcia walk by and smiled to himself. "What time should we expect you at the house?" he asked, not looking toward her.

She stopped in her tracks, thinking. "I'd say about 6:30, does that work for you?"

He nodded. "Dinner's at 6:00 and they won't be in the bath until 7:00, so you'll be fine."

"I shall see you then!"

He gave her a quick wave before stepping into the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor.

* * *

When he made it to Parker's school, he checked his watch and saw that he was early. He got out of the car, leaning against it. While he waited, he took out his phone, calling Derek.

"Hey, Pretty Boy."

"Don't you sound exhausted?"

Derek exhaled. "You would too if you had to clean our sheets and bathe our son for the second time today."

Spencer frowned. "Is he okay?"

"He's curled up on the couch with some soup, watching one of his dinosaur movies. His fever's consistent, but he got sick again about a half hour ago."

He crossed his arms. "I'm waiting outside Parker's school now – Hotch let me go early to spend time with the two of them. Do you need me to grab anything on the way home?"

"Some more cold medicine for him would be great, maybe even some popsicles."

"Why, is he saying his throat hurts?"

"No, but mine would sting pretty bad after getting sick."

"Good point. Can you put him on for me?"

"Sure, one sec." He heard Derek walking to the living room and sitting beside Ben, rubbing his back. "Ben, buddy, Daddy's on the phone."

He took the phone, sitting up. "Hi, Daddy."

He smiled. "Hey, buddy. Are you feeling any better?"

He whimpered. "I wanna go to school tomorrow."

"I bet, we'll see how you're feeling in the morning. Parker and I are going to be home in a little bit. How about the two of us play dinosaurs and watch a movie together while Parker and Papa make dinner tonight?"

"Okay. I'm sorry I'm sick, Daddy."

"Don't be, you couldn't help it." He looked up as the school bell rang. "Were you good for Papa today?"

"Very, I sleeped a lot."

"I'm sure. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

"Love you, Daddy."

He smiled. "I love you too, Ben." He hung up, putting his phone in his pocket and waiting.

Parker came out a few minutes later, running over to him. "Hi, Daddy!"

He bent down, hugging her and kissing her forehead. "Did you have fun at school today?"

She nodded. "I got an A _plus_ on all of my tests!"

"That's my girl." He rubbed her back. "Ready to get home?"

"Uh huh, I made Benny a get better card during recess."

"You spent your _whole_ recess making something for your brother?"

She nodded again as Spencer opened the back door. "I want him to feel a lot better, so I used a lot of time on it."

"I can't argue with that logic." He closed the door after she got in, then got in himself, starting the car.

When they got home, Spencer turned to Parker before walking inside. "Don't spend a _lot_ of time with Benny, okay? He's sick and I don't want you sick too."

She nodded. "Can I give him his card?"

"Definitely, and you can help Papa make dinner tonight."

She clapped her hands together as Spencer unlocked the front door, walking in and holding the door open for her.

"How's the patient?" Spencer asked, taking off his jacket and hanging it up.

Derek looked up from the table, where he and Ben were playing with his dinosaur toys. "He's awake and his fever hasn't gotten any worse."

"Well that's good." He walked over, sitting on Ben's other side, kissing the top of his head. "How you feeling, buddy?"

He shrugged, setting down his toy and snuggling into Spencer's side.

Spencer smiled. "How about the two of us sit on the couch and watch some movies together?"

He nodded and Spencer picked him up, sitting on the couch and setting Ben beside him. The little boy moved in, resting his head in his father's lap.

Spencer ran his fingers through Ben's hair. "Parker made you something at school today."

"What?" Ben asked tiredly.

"Parker, do you want to show him?"

She set down her backpack, unzipping it.

"Did you grab the cold medicine and popsicles?" Derek asked.

Spencer nodded. "I stuffed them into my bag, if you want to stick the popsicles in the freezer and the cold medicine in the cabinet."

Derek kissed Spencer's forehead before taking the bag out, walking to the kitchen.

Parker walked over, handing a card to Ben. Spencer looked down and saw that it was blue, Ben's favorite color, and covered in drawings of dinosaurs.

"Can you read it, Ben?" Spencer asked, rubbing his back.

Ben nodded, yawning. "Get better soon, Benny. Love, Parker."

He smirked. "What do you say?"

Ben set the card down on the table. "Thank you, Parker."

She tiptoed over, kissing the top of her brother's head, patting it and walking to the kitchen to see if she could help Derek.

"What hurts, buddy?"

Ben whimpered. "My tummy and my head, 'cause it's hot."

"Are you hungry?"

He quickly shook his head. "Nuh uh."

Spencer thought to himself, going through the symptoms. "Derek, how high has his fever gotten today?"

"Hasn't gone over 102, why?"

He frowned, taking his phone out of his pocket.

"What is it?"

He put a finger to his lips, motioning toward the phone. "Hi, this is Spencer Morgan, my son's a patient there, Benjamin Morgan. Can I please talk to Doctor Smith as soon as possible?"

The nurse on the other end told him to hold and he leaned back on the couch, rubbing Ben's back.

"What?" Derek asked.

"Hi, Doctor Smith, it's Spencer Morgan. Did Derek call you about Benjamin earlier? He did? Good. I just got home from work and Ben's fever has consistently been under 102.2, his stomach hurts, and he's lost his appetite. Should we be concerned about appendicitis at this point? I know it's a long shot, but just in case…"

"You think it's appendicitis?"

"Yeah, he's gotten sick twice-"

"Three times," Derek corrected.

"Three times, and he was complaining about the stomach pain very early this morning. I'm just concerned that if it is, we have to worry about a rupture."

He heard her flipping through her some sort of book. "Bring him to the hospital now, I'll have them bring him in for some scans."

He sighed. "Thank you, we'll be there soon."

He hung up, turning to Derek.

"Is it?"

"I don't know, but she wants me to take him to the," he covered Ben's ears, "h-o-s-p-i-t-a-l" he finished, moving his hands, "and have him tested."

"I know what that spells!" Parker called from the kitchen table, her textbooks open in front of her.

"I bet you do." Derek sighed. "I'll see if one of her aunts can keep an eye on her, I'll meet you there."

Spencer bent his head down, kissing Ben's forehead. "Hey, buddy, do you want to go for a ride with Daddy? We're going to get your tummy checked." Ben looked up at him, nodding, and Spencer wrapped the blanket around him, picking him up and kissing his forehead. "We'll see you there?"

"Let's hope so." He kissed Ben's cheek, rubbing his back. "Be good for Daddy, okay?"

He nodded, resting his head on his father's shoulder as Spencer grabbed his keys, walking out.

Derek leaned against the counter, taking his phone out and calling Garcia.

"Fairy godauntie at your service."

He smiled slightly, running a hand over his scalp. "A favor, godauntie?"

"Sure thing, I'll be there in a few hours. What do you need me to grab?"

He swallowed, sighing. "I need you to watch your niece."

"…Sure, what for?"

"Spencer's on his way to the hospital with Ben now, and I really can't sit around and play the waiting game."

"Hospital? What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Spencer did his usual home diagnosis and thought it might be his appendix, and called his doctor, who wants him to get the tests done. Is there any chance-"

"Say no more. Drop her off at work with a backpack full of whatever to keep her busy, and a bag for some overnight clothes, just in case. I'll watch the princess, you worry about the prince."

"You're a godsend, Baby Girl. See you soon." He hung up, turning to face Parker. "Can you pack up your homework? We're going to see Aunt Penny."

She nodded, getting up and closing her books, stuffing them into her backpack. After packing a bag for her, the two of them were out the door.

Derek walked up to Garcia's lair, Parker's hand in one hand and her bags in the other.

"Go ahead and knock."

She nodded, knocking on the door repeatedly.

Garcia walked up and opened the door, looking at Parker. "My you've grown on me!"

"Daddy genes," Parker said, shrugging.

"I guess so." Garcia held out her hands, and Derek gave her the bags. "Let me know how my little prince is doing?"

"I can do that." He looked down at Parker. "Can you be good for Aunt Penny while I'm at the hospital with Ben and Daddy?"

"I can." She let go of his hand, hugging his leg. "I want Benny to be okay."

"Me too, princess." He knelt down, kissing her forehead. "I'll let Aunt Penny know as soon as I know anything, okay? I promise."

Parker held up her pinky. "It only counts if you swear it."

He wrapped his pinky around hers. "I swear."

She kissed his pinky. "Love you, Papa."

"Love you too, princess." He got up, looking at Garcia. "Thank you."

"Anytime. Now, go check on my macchiato."

He took his keys out of his pocket, kissing his hand and resting it on Parker's cheek. "Do your homework."

"I will."

He nodded and turned around, walking out and rushing down the stairs.

* * *

Spencer walked into the hospital, right to the front desk.

"Hi, Spencer Morgan, Doctor Smith called about my son, Benjamin Morgan? He needs to see a doctor immediately."

The nurse held up a hand, giving him a clipboard. "Go right up to pediatrics, room 12, and fill those out while you're waiting for the doctor." She typed up a bracelet and printed it out, putting it on Ben's wrist.

Spencer thanked her before walking over to the elevator, pressing the button and getting in. "You okay, Ben?"

He nodded against his shoulder, resting his head against it. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

He shook his head, kissing the top of Ben's. "We never apologize for things we can't control, and that includes being sick."

Once settled in the room, Spencer was filling out the forms while Ben laid on the bed, curled up on his side with his eyes closed. He set the clipboard down and rubbed Ben's back, sighing. "It's okay, buddy."

Not long after, Derek walked in, sitting on Ben's other side. "How are we doing in here?"

Ben shrugged, whimpering.

"His doctor's going to be in soon to do the tests. What did Garcia say?"

"She wants to know how he's doing as soon as we have an update, and she's going to be sure Parker does her homework."

He smiled slightly. "Like she needs to be told."

A few minutes later, a doctor walked in, clipboard in hand. "Mr. Morgan?"

"Yes?" Both Derek and Spencer answered.

The doctor smiled, holding out his hand to Spencer. "I'm Doctor Thomas, I'm going to be taking care of Benjamin this afternoon."

Spencer shook his hand, followed by Derek.

Doctor Thomas looked at Ben. "How are you feeling, little guy?"

"Icky," he put plainly, pulling the blanket over himself.

"I'll bet." He quickly took Ben's temperature and wrote it down on the clipboard. "Can you lay down on your back for me so I can check on your belly?"

Ben looked at Spencer, who gave him a quick nod. "It's okay, Ben, Papa and I are right here." He took the boy's hand, squeezing it. "We're not going anywhere."

Derek reached over, taking his other hand and squeezing. This seemed to be what he needed to calm down enough and lie down, looking up at the painted designs on the ceiling.

Doctor Thomas rolled up Ben's shirt. "Okay, little guy. I'm going to press down, and if it hurts, I want you to say something. Does that work for you?"

He nodded, squeezing his fathers' hands and keeping his focus above him. Presses on his chest went without a reaction, as well as a few on his upper abdomen. The doctor pressed on his belly button and Ben whimpered. "There."

"Over here too?" he asked, pressing on his right side.

He nodded, squeezing their hands again.

Derek looked over at Spencer and saw that he was worried. He reached over, patting Spencer's arm, before looking back at Ben.

Doctor Thomas stepped back, writing something down and looking back at Ben. "Usually, we perform a blood test or x-rays to check on it, but something tells me he wouldn't be too willing to get his blood drawn."

Spencer nodded. "He doesn't do well with needles."

"I'm going to bring in an ultrasound to get a better look, and we can decide if he needs surgery from there." He looked at Ben. "Is it okay if I get a picture of the inside of your belly?"

Ben's eyes widened. "_Inside_?"

Derek smiled, squeezing his hand. "Don't worry, it's from the outside. They're going to put some stuff on your tummy and get a picture on a screen of what's going on in there." He patted Ben's stomach. "It's how they used to see you when you were inside Daddy's tummy."

"Really?"

Spencer nodded. "He's just going to put on some jelly that helps them see, put on a wand, and we're going to see your belly. I used to get them done all the time when you and your sister were inside of me. I promise, it doesn't hurt."

This seemed to calm the little boy down and he nodded at the doctor, who dismissed himself from the room, coming back a few minutes later with the machine in tow. He spread the gel onto Ben's stomach and Spencer smiled. "Cold, isn't it?"

Ben nodded, pouting.

"I feel your pain." He bent his head down, kissing his forehead. "Just look at the screen and you can see your insides. It's pretty cool."

Ben turned his attention to the screen, watching it closely as the image came up. His doctor was sure to point out the different organs, and Spencer provided facts about each of them. Derek smirked, listening to Spencer ramble on. He was immediately silenced when something showed up on the screen and he sighed, sympathetically looking down at Ben. Derek looked up at him and Spencer nodded, before kissing Ben's forehead.

Doctor Thomas cleaned off his stomach before turning to Spencer. "I'm going to see when I can get him up to the OR."

"Thank you."

He gave both of them a nod before walking out.

"What's that?" Ben asked.

"Well," Spencer started, squeezing his hand, "you know how the doctor looked at your tummy?"

"Yeah…"

"He saw something that doesn't go there, so they're going to go in there and fix it."

Derek saw him panicking and shook his head. "Don't worry, you're going to be asleep while they do it. You're not going to feel a single thing. I had the same thing when I was twelve, and I'm fine."

Spencer ran his fingers through Ben's hair, sighing. "Can you call Garcia and have someone drop off a bag for us?"

"I can handle that." He kissed Ben's forehead before taking out his cell phone, walking out.

He stepped out of the hospital, dialing Garcia's phone number.

"How's he doing?" she asked immediately.

"No witty greeting? I'm disappointed."

She smiled. "Is this a phone call to tell me all is well and you'll be by to pick up the princess soon?"

"Afraid not." He sighed. "It looks like, once again, Spencer was right. He's going to get surgery soon to get his appendix out, and according to the statistics Spencer rambled, it's a 1-2 day hospital stay."

She frowned. "My poor baby. What can I do?"

"Well, first, I want to know if you can keep an eye on his sister. Spencer and I are going to stay at the hospital with him: neither of us wants to be away from him right now."

"I get it. What else?"

"If you could grab our go-bags from the house, as well as some pajamas for Ben, we'd greatly appreciate it. And his dinosaur, you know which one I'm talking about."

"The blue stuffed one that the two of us made together, Donnie?"

"That very one."

"Can and will do. Should I update the team, let them know you two won't be in for a few days?"

"That would be great. I need to get back inside, Ben's probably in a panic about being cut open. We'll see you soon?"

"You bet," she put her hand over the phone, "Parker, please put your textbooks away before I trip over them."

Derek smiled. "She got you with them, didn't she?"

"Twice already. Is it okay if she tags along?"

"Yeah, maybe seeing his big sister will help. See you soon, mama."

"You bet, brown sugar." She hung up and Derek sighed.

When he made it back to Ben's room, Spencer was rubbing his back and Ben seemed to be asleep.

"He okay?"

Spencer nodded, pulling his blanket up. "After giving him a few facts about the surgery, he nodded, said he was going to be brave, and fell asleep." He smiled to himself. "I tried to tell him he didn't need to be brave, and that he could be scared if he wanted to, but he told me that his dads are superheroes, which makes him one, and superheroes don't get scared."

"It sure beats the knights and villains," Derek said, shrugging and sitting on his other side. "What did his doctor say?"

"He'll be up in surgery soon, and afterward, the two of us wait for word from the surgeon to see him in recovery. He'll be in recovery for an hour, then back in here for a day or two." He cleared his throat. "Did you tell your mom yet?"

"Not yet, I'll probably give her a call when he's up in surgery. Garcia's going to stop by with our things soon, so we don't need to leave."

"Good. I'm sorry, Derek."

"…For what?"

He shrugged. "For not seeing the signs earlier. I'd read extensively on appendicitis, and I should've recognized it. He could've already had the surgery and been sleeping it off by now, but-"

Derek leaned over, kissing Spencer softly. He pulled back, resting a hand on his cheek. "Neither of us saw the signs, and it's neither of our faults. He's fine, his appendix didn't rupture, and he's going to be fine after surgery. I promise."

He nodded slightly, licking his lips and thinking. "So who's going to show up with a present first… post-Garcia?"

He smirked. "Well, I don't know. His godfather would immediately feel inclined to buy him a present to make him feel better, so I'd say Rossi, but when he skinned his knee on the playground? Emily showed up not long after with a new toy. It could be anyone, really."

"Sounds about right."

Garcia walked in, setting the bags down in a corner, before walking over to the bed. "How's he doing?"

"He's been sleeping for a while. The anesthesiologist is going to be in soon to evaluate him and check him over before he goes up to surgery and goes under. We can be with him after the general anesthesia starts to wear off."

"Putting the facts aside, how's he doing?"

Derek smiled. "He's a trooper. No tears, no panic."

"He takes after his parents."

Parker pulled on Derek's leg.

"What is it, Princess?"

"Can I give Benny a hug and a kiss?"

"I think I can make that happen." He picked her up, sitting her beside him. "Just be careful, okay?"

She nodded, kissing his cheek. "Feel better, Benny. I'll still love you without your 'pendix."

Spencer smiled, chuckling and shaking his head. "I'm sure he appreciates that."

Ben woke up, looking around the room and seeing Parker. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "I love you, Benny."

He yawned, wrapping an arm around her. "Love you too, Parker."

Garcia smiled at the sight of them. "They do this a lot?"

"Practically every night," Derek told her. "Ben, do you want to say good night to Parker? She's going to stay with Aunt Penny."

He nodded, kissing her cheek. "Night, Parker."

"Night, Benny!" she patted his head. "Be better soon."

Derek picked her up, hugging her. "I love you, Princess. Be a good girl for Penny."

She grabbed his pinky, wrapping hers around it. "I promise."

Spencer got up, walking over and kissing her forehead. "Can Aunt Penny do story time?"

"No problem!" She hugged Spencer before climbing out of Derek's lap. "Ready, Aunt Penny!"

Garcia dug through the bags. "Just one second." She took out the dinosaur, handing it to Ben. "I thought you could use your friend."

He grabbed it, clinging it tightly. "Thank you, Penny."

"Anytime, buddy. How about I come back tomorrow morning with an _awesome_ present? Would that make this whole thing less scary?"

He nodded, laying down and holding his dinosaur. "Bye, Penny. Bye, Parker." He waved to both of them before yawning, closing his eyes again.

"Tuckered out, isn't he?" Garcia asked, picking up her purse.

"After the day he's had, I can't blame him," Spencer said, shrugging. "So we'll be seeing you tomorrow morning?"

"You bet. Let me know when he's out and conscious? I can be the only call you make, and I'll call the rest of the team, promise."

"Will do," Derek told her, before kissing Parker's forehead again. "Bye, Princess."

She waved and took Garcia's hand, walking out.

* * *

When the anesthesiologist came in, both Spencer and Derek sat up straight in their seats, ready to answer any questions. He shook both of their hands, introducing himself, before turning to Ben. "How are you feeling, Ben?"

He shrugged, clinging onto his dinosaur. Spencer reached over, rubbing his back.

"Ben, is it okay if I listen to your heart?"

He nodded, letting go of his dinosaur and holding out his hands again. Spencer took one and Derek took the other, squeezing.

The doctor walked over, checking Ben's heart and lungs with the stethoscope and stepping back. He wrote something on his clipboard.

"Any other health problems with Ben?"

Derek shook his head. "This is the first problem he's had."

"Is he on any medications?"

"The only thing we gave him was cold medicine, and he's not regularly on anything, no," Spencer answered.

"Have either of you ever had a negative reaction to anesthesia?"

Spencer thought back and shook his head. "Derek?"

"I didn't do well when I had my wisdom teeth removed, but every other time I was fine."

He nodded. "Does Ben have any allergies, such as food, latex, or medications?"

"Not that we're aware of, no."

"When did he last eat?"

Derek cleared his throat. "I tried to give him some soup at about noon, but he didn't touch it, and he had eggs, but he got sick not long after."

He wrote this down and clicked his pen. "Do either of you have any questions?"

Spencer nodded. "How long can we stay with him before surgery?"

"Right until we bring him up to the operating room is usually what we do with children this young, that way it's less for them to be nervous about."

"And how is he going to be put under?" He wrung his hands. "He's not very comfortable with needles, I'm sorry to say he inherited that from me."

"I'm going to use the breathing mask. It's usually best."

Derek spoke up. "How long is he going to be in surgery, and when can we see him?"

"The surgery usually takes an hour, and you can see him as soon as the general anesthesia starts to wear off in recovery, so you can be with him when he wakes up."

After asking the questions, he handed a form to Spencer to fill out.

"Is he going to be sedated before the anesthesia?" he asked, filling them out and signing his name, holding it out to Derek.

"We're going to have him drink something to sedate him so we can get him up to the operating room and relaxed enough to put on the mask and do the procedure."

He nodded. "How soon will you be back to sedate him?"

"A few minutes."

Once he stepped out, Spencer turned to Ben, kissing the top of his head. "Are you going to be strong during your surgery, Ben? Are you going to be a big boy and not worry? Because, I have to say, sometimes even Daddy doesn't do that."

This made Ben smile. "I can be a big boy."

"That's my man," Derek said, nudging his arm. "How about when you get up tomorrow, Daddy and I watch whatever movie you want? Neither of us are going to work, so we're all yours until you get out of the hospital."

Ben gave him a thumbs up. "Okay."

The anesthesiologist came back a few minutes later, standing beside Ben's bed. "Okay, Ben, this is going to be really simple." He held out a cup to him. "Can you drink that up for me?"

"But my tummy hurts."

Spencer rubbed his back. "I know. Just drink that and the pain will go away soon."

He took the cup, spinning the silly straw around before drinking it.

"There we go, bud," Derek said, rubbing his back.

Once finished, Spencer handed the cup back, lying Ben down and kissing his forehead. "Papa and I will see you as soon as you get out, okay?"

He nodded. "Love you, Daddy. Love you, Papa."

"We love you too, Ben." Derek leaned over, kissing his forehead. "We'll see you soon."

Ben gave him a thumbs up and before long, looked up at the surgeon. "I'm ready."

Spencer laughed to himself, kissing Ben's forehead one last time before letting the anesthesiologist and surgeon take over.

When they had left the room, Spencer sighed. "And now we wait."

Derek nodded. "And now we wait."

* * *

The two of them sat in his room, trying to find ways to distract themselves. Derek had texted Garcia that Ben was up in surgery, and the two of them had texted back and forth for a bit until she had to give Parker dinner. She had told him, however, that the team knew what had happened and they'd all be stopping by tomorrow to check on him. Neither of them was surprised, considering how close-knit the team was.

At one point, Spencer dug through his go-bag.

"What are you looking for?"

He put up a finger before taking a box out, setting it on the table beside Ben's bed.

"You want to play _cards_ right now?"

He shrugged, opening the box and taking the cards out, shuffling. "I don't know about you, but I need to do something to take my mind off of the fact that my son's up in surgery right now. Are you in?"

Derek sighed. "I'm not in much of a gambling mood."

Spencer smirked, shaking his head. "I was thinking of an old fashioned game of Go Fish, considering that's usually our game of choice with the kids. Now are you in?"

He nodded, holding out his hand. "Deal me in."

The two of them were able to keep themselves slightly distracted, though Ben was still the first thing on both of their minds. They'd constantly forget the game they were playing and slip up telling the other about the cards in their hand, making the game even longer.

Ben's surgeon walked in a while later. "Mr. Morgan?"

They both looked up, setting their cards down on the pile, Spencer grabbing them and storing them back in the box.

"The surgery went well, and Benjamin's up in recovery right now. You can go up to see him."

Spencer nodded, putting the deck of cards back into his bag and standing up. Derek also stood up, stretching slightly, before the two of them followed him.

"He's coming off the general anesthesia, and it usually takes about forty-five minutes to an hour for it to wear off completely."

Spencer nodded, though he already knew the facts. "But he's fine?"

"He's doing great. I can't say that I've ever seen a six year old so calm before a surgery."

Derek smiled, squeezing Spencer's shoulder. "He got that from you."

Spencer blushed slightly as they stepped into the room. He saw the IV in his arm and turned to the surgeon. "…He doesn't like needles."

"We put him on the IV after he was sedated so he didn't notice or feel a thing."

He sat down beside Ben, running a hand through his hair, Derek sitting down on his other side.

"How long before he wakes up?"

"It usually varies, but you can expect him to wake up soon."

Spencer bent down, kissing his forehead. "Daddy and Papa are here, Ben, just like we promised."

Derek smirked, taking his hand and squeezing it. "We're here, buddy."

A few minutes later, Ben whimpered, which caused both of them to immediately look down at him. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times, before closing them again and sighing.

"How long has it been?" Spencer asked, turning to the surgeon.

He checked his watch. "About 40 minutes."

He nodded, turning his attention back to Ben and kissing his cheek.

Ben opened his eyes again, looking around the room and blinking, taking in his surroundings.

"Hey, Ben," Derek whispered, "we're here for you."

He whimpered, reaching up and rubbing his eyes, looking at Spencer.

"There we go, buddy. How are you feeling?"

He took a deep breath before sighing. "Sleepy."

"Does your tummy still hurt?"

He shook his head. "Nuh uh."

"That's good." Spencer kissed his forehead.

Derek turned to the surgeon, who explained to him that he was currently on medication to relieve the pain, and would be re-dosed as needed.

"Daddy?"

Spencer smiled. "Yeah, Ben?"

"I was strong," he whispered, "strong like you and Papa."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Once he was fully aware of his surroundings, the doctor and anesthesiologist checked him over. Ben was discharged from the recovery room, allowing him to go back to his room and get some sleep. When they were there, Spencer dug through the bag for Ben, taking out a pair of pajamas and putting them on him, knowing he'd prefer them to the hospital gown. He was careful not to irritate the incision and tucked him in, kissing his forehead.

"If you need any medicine, Ben, just press this button," he started, pointing to the call button, "and they'll give it to you. You don't need to be brave here, I promise."

He nodded, yawning. "Where's Donnie?"

Derek grabbed the stuffed dinosaur from the top of his bag, handing it to him. "All yours and ready for a night of protecting you."

He clung to it, yawning. He gave both of his fathers a quick 'I love you' before falling asleep.

"This has been one hell of a day," Derek whispered, running a hand over his face.

Spencer nodded, fixing the blankets over him. "It definitely has. I don't know about you, but _I'm_ ready to get some sleep."

Derek pulled a chair over, sitting down. "Not sure how I'm going to sleep without my space heater, but I can try to manage for the next couple of nights."

"Agreed."

Derek grabbed a chair, dragging it over and putting his feet up on it. "Do you want me to call Garcia, let her know he's out?"

Spencer nodded, taking a blanket out of his go-bag and putting it over him. "Not a bad idea."

Derek took out his phone, leaning back in the seat and calling Garcia.

"I take it the little engine really could?"

He smirked. "That he could. He's out of surgery and he's fast asleep with Donnie right now."

"Good to know." She put her hand over the phone. "Parker, Benny's out of surgery and asleep, we can go see him in the morning before you go to school."

"Yay! Tell him I love him!"

"I'll have Daddy and Papa do that once he wakes up." She moved her hand. "Parker and I will be there first thing in the morning to check on him. Did he do okay?"

"Doctors said he was the bravest six year old they'd ever seen. I'd say he got that from his Daddy."

"Or his Papa," Spencer mumbled, "you're pretty strong too, Derek."

He smiled. "Does Parker need to talk to us before she goes to bed?"

"Let me ask." She put her hand over the phone and came back a minute later. "She says it's fine, because you two should be spending your time with Benny, but she loves you both."

"Tell her we love her too and we'll see her in the morning."

"Consider it done."

He hung up, plugging his phone in to charge. He then got up, resting a finger under Spencer's chin and kissing him softly.

"What was that for?" Spencer asked tiredly.

"I guess for realizing something was wrong with Ben."

Spencer smirked. "Just call me Super Daddy."

"One of many nicknames in the book." He kissed Spencer's forehead before grabbing his go-bag, taking out a blanket and sitting on the chair, putting it over himself. "Looks like we're in for an uncomfortable night."

Spencer shrugged. "On the job, we've slept worse."

* * *

During the night, Ben had only woken up once, and that had been for more medicine. Other than that, they were both surprised that he slept through the night, though neither of them had slept much, worrying about him. Once Derek had woken up for the day, he walked over, kissing Spencer's cheek.

"Can I interest you in a crappy cup of coffee?"

Spencer nodded slightly, sitting up. "Please."

"I'll be back in a minute. Let him know if he wakes up that I'll be back soon."

"I will." He pushed the blanket off of him and sat up, moving the chair closer to Ben's bed. He stretched slightly, hoping to get rid of some of the strained muscles in his back.

Derek came in, handing him a cup of coffee and some sugar packets. "It shouldn't be _too_ crappy, it's from the nurse's station. One of the nurses knew we'd been here all night with him and wanted us to have a decent cup."

"Trust me, I appreciate it." He tore open the sugar packets, pouring them into his coffee and taking a sip. "What time should we start expecting people?"

Derek shrugged. "Garcia's probably coming by with Parker before school, so we should expect her soon, and then everyone else? Probably on their lunch breaks and after work."

"Good prediction."

"I thought so." Derek sipped his coffee. "When can we start feeding him?"

"Once his doctor says we can. We'll have to have him on things like water and apple juice before we can actually give him food, and avoid solids for a while."

"That doesn't sound too fun."

Spencer shrugged. "I'm sure once he's fully healed, his Papa will help me make a really nice dinner to make up for it."

"I think I can handle that."

"Did you call your mother?" Spencer asked, setting the coffee cup down.

He shook his head, running a hand over his face and groaning. "I knew I forgot something."

Spencer thought, chewing on his cheek. "Should we call her after Garcia and Parker come to visit, once he's awake so she can talk to him? You know she's going to want to."

"Good point." He sat up straight in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees. "How did you sleep?"

"I barely did," he admitted. "I'll sleep once he's better."

"I can agree with that." He looked over at the bed, smiling. "Look who's waking up."

Ben sat up on the bed, pouting and looking around. It took him a minute to remember where he was before he whimpered, grabbing his dinosaur and clinging it.

"Feeling okay, Ben?" Spencer asked.

He nodded, rubbing his eyes and sighing.

"Do you need more medicine, bud?" Derek asked, rubbing his arm.

He nodded again, lying down and pressing the call button. After getting some medicine, he sat up, crossing his legs. "I wanna go home."

"I'll bet. We can all go home tomorrow night," Spencer told him, patting his leg. "But guess what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

He smiled. "Penny and Parker are going to come by before Parker has to go to school, and your aunts and uncles are going to come by later in the day. Plus, Papa's going to call grandma so you can talk to her later, _and_ Penny packed up some of your favorite movies. Is that okay with you?"

"Uh huh."

Derek looked down at his phone and saw that Garcia was calling. He answered, leaning back in his chair.

"Hey, sweetness, I'm putting you on speaker."

"Hey, yourselves. How's the patient?"

He smirked. "He just woke up for the day. What's going on with you two?"

"I just thought I'd let you know that getting your daughter out of bed is easily _the_ hardest thing to do. She's fine when I'm babysitting, but now? Nobody informed me that there's some form of magic word-"

"Pancakes," Ben mumbled, clinging his dinosaur and yawning.

"…Seriously, that's _it_?"

Spencer laughed. "It is. Even if you didn't make them, just the thought of pancakes gets her right out of bed."

"Damn." She groaned, reaching in her pocket and holding out a dollar to Parker. "Swear jar already donated, no freaking out on me. Any hints for getting her to move a little faster? I want to get her over there to see her brother before I have to take her to school."

"Threatening to take away a book usually does it," Derek told her.

Garcia put her hand over the phone, but they could still hear her. "Parker, if you're not ready to leave in the next two minutes, not only do you not get to see Benny before school, but you can't read for fun." She moved her hand. "…And that did it."

"So we'll be seeing you soon?"

"You bet. Where are we headed?"

"Room 12 in Pediatrics."

"We'll be there within a half hour. Much love to my three favorite men."

"Bye, Penny."

"And goodbye to you, my favorite little macchiato, even though you're down an appendix."

"I'm too cool for 'pendix."

Spencer bit down on his lip to hold back a laugh. "Who told you that?"

"Papa."

"You three enjoy yourselves."

"We will, bye, Baby Girl." Derek hung up and Spencer gave him a look. "…What?"

He shook his head. "Absolutely nothing."

Ben looked up at Spencer. "Daddy?"

"What is it, little guy?"

He sighed, moving over on the bed. "Will you sit with me? Please?"

"I don't know, Ben, you should be the one in the hospital bed being comfortable."

"Though it is more your territory than his," Derek mentioned.

Spencer shook his head. "Are you sure, buddy?"

"Uh huh." He patted the spot beside him. "_Please_?"

"When you ask like that, how can I refuse?" He stood up, sitting down beside Ben and pulling him into his lap, kissing the top of his head. "You're being super strong, you know that?"

He shrugged.

"Don't sell yourself short, Ben," Derek started, rubbing his arm. "You didn't even cry _once_ when you found out you needed surgery, and your doctors said that no other kid your age _ever_ took it as well as you did. I think once you're better, Daddy and I owe you a trip to the toy store."

Ben smiled. "I'm just awesome."

"And we're proud of you," Spencer said, kissing his forehead and rubbing his arm.

"Can I see Parker?"

"Soon, little man."

* * *

When there was a knock on his door, Derek got up, walking over and opening it.

"Don't you look exhausted?" Garcia said.

He smirked. "Long day and long night yesterday, plus sleeping in a hospital chair. You do the math."

"Just did it in my head, you poor thing." She patted his cheek. "Is he awake?"

He nodded, stepping aside. "His Daddy's just finishing reading a book to him right now."

She stepped inside, keeping a grip on Parker's hand. "You have to be careful, okay?"

"Uh huh. I know not to touch anything I'm not supposed to."

"Good job."

Parker stepped toward the bed, before climbing up and sitting beside Ben, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek. Spencer smiled, setting his book down on the nightstand.

"You okay, Benny?"

He nodded, resting his head on her shoulder. "I have no 'pendix and an IV," he said, pointing to the bag on the stand beside his bed.

"What's that?"

"Cliffnotes version, Daddy," Derek told him.

He shook his head. "It's giving him his food and his medicine until he can eat again."

She wrinkled her nose. "That's not fun." She patted her brother's head. "Penny will make cookies when you can eat."

"…Did you ask Penny about this?" Derek asked.

Garcia rolled her eyes. "Shush, I am 10,000% okay with this."

"See?"

Parker was able to spend a half hour there before Garcia had to get her to school.

"Princess, say goodbye to the Prince."

She pouted. "Can't I stay with Benny, Papa? Please?"

Spencer gave him a look, shaking his head.

"Sorry, Princess. You have to go to school, and he's going to sleep most of the day so he can get better. He's not going to be the best company."

She pouted, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "Feel better, Benny."

He leaned in. "I will."

Spencer smiled. "Do Daddy and Papa get hugs too?"

"In a minute!" she snapped, hugging Ben as tight as she could and kissing his cheek. "I'll see you later. Have fun sleeping and not eating and stuff."

He nodded. "Okay."

She leaned back, hugging Spencer. "Take care of Benny." She then eyed Derek. "You too."

"We will." He bent his head down, kissing her forehead. "Be good for Aunt Penny, okay?"

She held up her pinky and Spencer wrapped his around it.

"Go say bye to Papa."

She climbed off the bed, climbing on the chair and pulling him into a hug. "Love you, see you tonight."

"We love you too." Derek turned to Garcia. "Out with it, Baby Girl."

"Out with…?"

Spencer rolled his eyes. "We _know_ you have a present, and you can't keep it a secret from us. So out with it."

She frowned, putting up a finger, before walking out to the hallway and coming back with a gift basket, setting it at the foot of his bed.

Ben gasped, eyes widening. "Wow!"

She walked over. "You like it?"

He nodded, holding out his arms as she leaned in, hugging him and kissing his cheek. "Take care, my little prince."

"I will."

She kissed his forehead before patting Spencer's cheek and looking between him and Derek. "And the two of you? Get some sleep."

"We'll try."

After the two of them left, Ben went through his basket while Spencer looked at Derek. "You need to call your mother."

"It's 6:30 in Chicago right now, she's probably not even awake."

"Okay, so do you want to feel her wrath when she finds out from somebody else, probably Garcia, and calls to yell at you?"

"…Good point." He watched as Ben took out some dinosaur books and smiled to himself, taking his phone out of his pocket and calling her number, putting the phone on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mom," Derek said, sitting on the bed.

"It's been a while since you called, is something wrong?"

"Hi, grandma!" Ben said, setting down some coloring books.

"…Why isn't Ben at school right now?"

"Well, mom," Derek started, trying to find the best way to explain it.

"I'm at the hospital," Ben put plainly, opening the box of crayons and taking one out.

"Derek, _what_ happened?!" she snapped.

Spencer smiled, running his fingers through Ben's hair. "Fran, it's not his fault. Ben was really sick all day yesterday. I decided to take him to the hospital, just in case. Parker stayed with Penelope, and we had him checked out. It turns out he needed his appendix out."

"Are you feeling okay, Ben?"

"Uh huh. I'm sleepy and it hurts a little, but I'm okay."

"That's good to hear. How's your belly?"

"I got a cut on it, but it's stitched shut. I'm being a big boy, I haven't cried at _all_."

She gasped. "Not even once? Getting surgery is a big deal, it's okay if you were scared."

He shook his head. "Nuh uh, grandma. I stayed strong and didn't get sad or scared or _anything_."

"What have you two done with my little grandson?"

Spencer laughed to himself. "He's still your grandson, just a lot braver than we originally thought."

"I guess so. When does he go home?"

"We can have him in his own bed tomorrow night. They just want to monitor him another night and be sure he's reacting well to the medications," Derek explained.

"Well that's good. Would you two mind if I came this weekend?"

"Mom, you don't have to-" Derek started.

"Derek, my only grandson just had his first surgery. Yes, I have to."

Spencer smirked. "Good luck reasoning with her on that, because she has a valid point."

He sighed. "No, Mom. We don't mind at all. So we should expect you Friday night?"

"That sounds about right. Are you okay missing school, Ben?"

"I wanna go back, but the doctors say no."

"It's for your health, they understand."

"I guess," he said, sighing dramatically.

Fran laughed. "I see he's been getting drama lessons from his older sister."

Derek smiled. "Believe me, Mom, it's even better in person. I guess we'll see you this weekend."

"Yes you will. Take care, you three. Love you all."

"Love you, Grandma," Ben called out, finishing coloring his picture.

"Love you, Fran," Spencer said, taking the crayon from Ben and putting it in the box.

"For the last time, Spencer. You married my son, you had my grandchildren, it's more than okay to call me Mom."

"You've told him a million times, and I'm pretty sure you'll have to tell him a million and one."

Spencer nudged his arm. "I'll do it eventually, stop with the pressure."

Derek smirked. "Bye, Mom. See you soon." He hung up, putting his phone in his pocket and turning to Ben. "Is it okay if I go get some coffee? When I come back, we'll watch dinosaur movies."

He nodded, taking a crayon from Spencer and starting on a new picture. "Get some for Daddy too, he needs it."

"I see you've been getting sass from your sister too," Spencer noted.

Ben nodded and Derek smiled to himself, kissing their cheeks before walking out.

* * *

Ben had gotten back to sleep not long after Derek came back to the room, and Spencer laid down with him, his arm wrapped around him. Derek took a picture, sending it to everyone he could and leaning back in his own chair, hoping to get some shut eye. He was woken up by his phone buzzing in his pocket. Sighing, he reached in his pocket, taking it out and checking the caller ID.

"Hey, Hotch. Sorry we didn't call this morning that we weren't going to be in. The three of us have been in and out all morning."

"I can imagine. How's he doing?"

He looked over at the bed and saw Ben fast asleep, curled up beside Spencer. "He and his Daddy are sleeping right now. Other than that? I have to commend him, because he hasn't cried, been visibly upset, or showed any negative emotions through this whole thing. He's stayed strong, only saying something when he needs more medicine."

"Brave – he definitely got that from his fathers."

He smiled. "I guess so." He sat up. "Let me guess where the team is right now – field trip to the toy store?"

"It's lunch, and believe it or not, it was Dave's idea."

"I'm not surprised. What time should we expect you?"

"Probably within the next half hour. Favorite animal still dinosaurs?"

"Definitely. I'll see you soon, Hotch, and hopefully have him up for your visit."

"It's no rush – if he needs to sleep, we won't mind."

"I'm sure, but the fact that he has company coming is what's keeping him from saying 'I'm bored' every two seconds."

Spencer reached a hand over, swatting at Derek's arm. "Leave him alone," he mumbled. "You'd be bored if you couldn't eat and had a body part removed too."

"Nice one, Morgan."

"Tell me about it. I'll see you guys when you get here. Pediatrics room 12." He hung up, putting his phone in his pocket and kissing the back of Spencer's head. "Is he still out?"

He shrugged. "In and out. Once we tell him his aunts and uncles are coming, I'm sure he'll be up in no time."

He smirked. "Just keep him asleep for now."

Spencer gave him a thumbs up before rubbing Ben's back, kissing the top of his head and pulling the blanket around him.

* * *

Ben had woken up not long after their conversation and sat up on his bed, pulling the blanket over himself and clinging his dinosaur.

"Hey there, Ben. Think we should wake Daddy?" Morgan asked, pointing to Spencer.

He shook his head. "He's okay. He needs to sleep, 'cause when I was in him, I took a lot of sleep. I owe him."

Derek smiled, committing it to memory to tell Spencer later.

There was a knock on the door and Ben looked over at Derek. "But I don't need more medicine."

"Let's see who it is then," he said, getting up and walking over, propping open the door.

JJ was the first to walk in, taking the chair beside his bed. "Hey, Ben."

He put his finger to his lips, pointing to the sleeping Spencer beside him.

She smiled, lowering her voice. "Are you feeling better?"

He nodded as Emily took the seat beside JJ. "I'm not hot anymore, see?" He took her hand, putting it on his forehead.

"Cool as a cucumber. I'd say that's a good thing."

"Uh huh."

Emily smiled, reaching over. "Wow, I'd say that's a lot better than your fever, huh?"

"Definitely. And my tummy doesn't hurt, 'cause I have this." He pulled his shirt up, pointing to the stitches on his incision.

She raised her eyebrows. "That's going to leave a pretty cool scar, I'm jealous."

Derek leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "He said he needs to find a special way to thank his Daddy for finding out what was wrong, because I sure as hell wouldn't have put two and two together to realize his appendix were ready to burst."

Ben shrugged. "Daddy's smart, that's why."

"That he is." Emily reached back, grabbing a bag and setting it on the bed. "I'm sure you don't mind, little guy, but your Aunt JJ and I got you a present for being so brave through all of this."

He looked at the bag before leaning forward, taking out the tissue paper and several dinosaur toys, gasping. "Wow, Papa, look!"

Derek gave JJ a look. "I don't step on enough of those things walking around my house?"

She shrugged. "A few more couldn't hurt."

He shook his head. "What else, Ben?"

He reached in the bottom of the bag, taking out a few board games. "Papa, can we play?!"

"Once Daddy wakes up, I'm sure he'd love to. What do you say?"

"Papa, I _know_ what to say." He turned to Emily and JJ. "Thank you, Aunt JJ. Thank you, Emmy."

Emily leaned forward, kissing his forehead. "You are _very_ welcome. You know your Uncle Aaron and Godfather are coming, and they have presents for you too?"

Ben looked at Derek. "Can I get my 'pendix out again? I like this."

"Oh, I bet you do, but let's try to _not_ have any more medical emergencies in the near future."

He shrugged, picking up his dinosaur toys and looking at them.

Spencer rolled over onto one of the toys, wincing. "Son of a bitch," he mumbled into the pillow, pulling it out from under him.

"I believe that's a dollar in the jar, Spence," JJ said, crossing her arms.

He raised an eyebrow before opening his eyes, realizing that Ben had visitors. He reached over, swatting Derek in the arm. "You could've told me there were people here, I wouldn't have been curled up in the fetal position on a bed that's entirely too small for me."

"It was entertaining to watch," Emily said, shrugging.

"Besides, what'd you say, Ben?"

"Daddy needs sleep, 'cause I took it when I was in him," he said, not looking up from his toys.

Spencer leaned over, kissing Ben's forehead. "Well, thank you, I appreciate the gesture." He sat up, stretching slightly. "More dinosaur toys?"

"Uh huh, _and_ games."

"Did you say thank you?"

"Yes, I did."

"Good boy." He ran his fingers through his hair. "How's the bullpen without me?"

"Dull," Emily put plainly, picking up one of the toys and playing along with Ben.

"I have to agree. Not having your stories about what the two of them did the night before is making the work day go by pretty slow."

He shrugged. "Sorry, I was busy diagnosing my son's inflamed appendix."

"You're forgiven."

There was another knock on the door and Ben looked up. "It's open!"

"I see he's a lot more willing to let people in when there's a possibility of presents," Derek observed.

"Typical six year old," Spencer said, rubbing Ben's arm as he and Emily continued to play.

Rossi walked in, carrying a dinosaur that was easily twice the size as Ben.

Spencer groaned. "And where in my house is that going to go?"

"That's not my concern – I buy it, then it's your problem. It comes with godfather territory."

Ben looked at it, eyes widening. "_Wow_! Can I see it?"

Rossi set it on the bed beside him and Ben smiled. "Thank you, Uncle Dave!"

"No problem, kid. Feeling better without the appendix?"

"A lot. I get medicine and presents."

"Just don't make a habit out of hospital stays. Your father does it enough to fill the quota."

"I resent that," Spencer said, propping the dinosaur up beside Ben. "Where's Hotch?"

"Grabbing my other present from the car. Hotch went in on this guy, so really, it only counts as half."

Spencer turned to Derek, who shrugged. "Godfather logic."

Hotch walked in, holding out a box to Ben. "Dinosaur wrapping paper and everything."

"Now, I was going to get him a trampoline, but research tells me that kids shouldn't be doing too much physical activity after appendectomies, so I think this'll do."

He tore the wrapping paper off, looking at the box. "What is it?"

Derek leaned over. "A _tablet_? You gave my six year old son a _tablet_?"

"There go the board games," JJ said, leaning back in her seat.

He shrugged. "The poor kid's going to be practically bed-ridden. He might as well be entertained."

"And what am I supposed to tell his sister when she sees that he got all of these presents and his own computer?" Spencer asked.

"She'll get one too… when the new-ness of his wears off. Besides, with how protective she is over the kid, I doubt she'll really care."

Spencer opened his mouth to argue, but sighed. "Fine, but if I hear one word from her, you're buying her one."

"Consider it done."

Once Derek set up the tablet with a few games for him, Hotch turned to him. "He's doing okay?"

"Responding well to medication, not in any pain, and like I said, he's a trooper." He ruffled Ben's hair. "Couldn't have asked for a better hospital experience, though I have to say, I'd rather have had none at all."

"Mhm," Spencer said in agreement. "I know we only requested the one day off, but-"

"Take as long as you need for him to heal up. I'm not going to force you two to come back early and have something go wrong," Hotch told them, cutting him off.

Spencer nodded appreciatively and pulled Ben into his lap. "Ben, can you put that down and thank everyone for coming to see you?"

He handed the tablet to Derek and looked up. "Thank you for visiting me! I still miss school."

JJ smirked. "Like father, like son I see."

"Oh, definitely. After he was really awake, he asked if we could get him out of the hospital and take him to school, then bring him right back afterward."

"I can't blame him for trying," Spencer said, rubbing his arm. "But he can go back next week, and I'm sure he'll love the make-up work."

"Uh huh."

Emily checked her watch, frowning. "As much fun as this is, we have to get back to work." She leaned over. "Can I get a kiss goodbye?"

Ben nodded, kissing her on the cheek and pulling her into a hug. "Bye, Emmy." Ben said his goodbyes to each member of the team, giving an especially long hug to his godfather. Spencer and Derek had to promise to update them with anything new on his condition, and were told to expect more presents from Garcia, though to be completely honest, it was expected.

The three of them spent the rest of the day playing the board games, and when Ben grew tired of those, played on his tablet.

"You know, he could've provided _us_ with one of those," Spencer said, rolling the dice. "We're over here playing Yahtzee and he's got any game he wants at his fingertips."

"I'm sorry, Pretty Boy. How about we inflame your appendix, and maybe Rossi will buy you one?"

Spencer rolled his eyes, writing down his score and handing him the dice. "It's your turn."

* * *

The doctor was pleased with how well he was recovering, and Ben was allowed to go home the next day. Spencer packed up their things in the room and Derek brought them down to the car while Spencer waited with Ben.

"Daddy, when I get home, can I play with Clooney?"

"You can't run around a lot after you get home, but you can do little things with Clooney if you want, like petting him and playing fetch, but no running around with him until the doctor says so, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy. Can you help with my shoes?" he asked, holding them up.

"I think I can manage that." He sat down next to him, putting the shoes on his feet and velcroing them shut. "Do you want to sleep in your bed tonight, or Daddy and Papa's?"

"Mine please. I miss it."

Spencer smiled. "I can relate."

Derek walked in. "Well, there may not be room for us in the car, but the giant dinosaur made it in."

Spencer shook his head. "Where are we going to put that, Ben?"

"The corner of my room, next to my books."

He thought to himself then raised his eyebrows, impressed. "I think we can do that."

"Can I go home _now_?"

Afraid not, kid," Derek said, sitting next to him. "We have to wait for them to bring in a wheelchair to get you out of here."

"But my legs work!"

He laughed, kissing Ben's forehead. "Your Daddy uses that same excuse all the time when he's in the hospital. We know your legs work, but it's what you have to do when you leave the hospital, it's just the rules."

"Can I walk in the house?" he asked, pouting.

"I think we can handle that. Spencer?"

Spencer nodded. "So long as you think you can do it. We're going to stop at the store to get your medicine on the way home. Do you want anything when we're there?"

"…Can I have a candy bar?"

"That sounds do-able. Do you want to get one for Parker too?"

He thought before nodding. "Pretty please."

One of the nurses came in, wheelchair in tow. "Are you ready to go home, Ben?"

"Very ready!" he said, standing up.

Derek shook his head. "Not so fast," he said, picking him up and setting him in the wheelchair. "We scheduled his follow-up with the surgeon and have his prescription, is there anything else?"

"You're all set to take him home." She looked down at Ben. "No more emergencies, okay?"

"I'll try!"

Spencer grabbed Donnie off the bed, handing him to Ben. "Do you have everything, buddy?"

He nodded. "Donnie, Daddy, and Papa, I'm all set!"

Spencer smirked, following Derek as the nurse took Ben out of the room.

Down at the car, Derek set him in his booster seat and buckled him in, careful not to aggravate his incision.

"Does that feel okay?"

Ben gave him a thumbs up. "All set!"

Derek smiled, getting in and starting the car.

"You said we'd go to the toy store," Ben mentioned on the drive home.

Derek turned to Spencer. "I blame that memory on _you_."

He shrugged, turning around. "How about as soon as you can walk around again, we'll take you to the toy store. Sound fair?"

He nodded. "Very fair."

"Crisis averted," Derek mumbled, driving.

* * *

Once they arrived at the house, Derek turned to Spencer. "Do you want to grab him and I'll grab the bags, or vice versa?"

"I've got him," Spencer said, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car. He then opened the back door. "Can you get out yourself?"

Ben thought about it, but quickly shook his head, holding up his hands. "Please?"

He unbuckled him, picking him up as Derek grabbed their bags. "Ready to be home, Ben?"

"Very!"

Ben curled up against him and he smiled, walking over and unlocking the front door. He stepped inside, holding the door open for Derek. "Do you need any help?"

He shook his head. "I've got it. How about I go unpack and you two watch a movie?"

"Does that sound good to you, Ben?"

He nodded. "Pretty please!"

Spencer sat on the couch, putting Ben down and putting a blanket over him, before turning on the DVD player and pressing play.

Derek unpacked the bags and not long after, there was a knock on the front door.

"I've got it," he called out, walking over. He peeked in the living room and saw Spencer fast asleep with Ben curled up beside him. He shook his head, opening the door and putting a finger to his lips, motioning toward the couch.

Garcia nodded, walking inside and setting a few gift bags down. "I hear Rossi gave him a tablet?"

"He, much like you, did a _thing_."

She smirked. "A very good thing, judging by the fact he stayed entertained in the hospital."

He shrugged as Parker pushed past him, walking over to the couch and kissing Ben's forehead, fixing the blanket over him.

"All she talked about all day was taking care of Ben," she whispered. "Her teacher said she was barely even concentrating because she was so excited about seeing her brother again."

"Sounds like her. I think all of us just really need a night in our own beds tonight, then we can go back to semi-normal."

She kissed his cheek. "Enjoy it, and I'll see you at work next week."

"Thanks again for watching her. I'm sure she loved her time with Aunt Penny."

"Believe me, she totally did." She turned toward the couch. "Do I get a goodbye?"

Parker nodded, running over and wrapping her arms around Garcia's waist, hugging her. "Thank you very much for watching me, I had a lot of fun."

"Glad to hear it, little one." She kissed the top of her head. "Maybe next time under better circumstances."

"Yeah, that."

She smirked, ruffling her hair, before grabbing her bag and walking out.

* * *

That night, Spencer and Derek both tucked Ben in after reading a story to both him and Parker.

"Parker, can you go to your room and I'll go tuck you in soon?" Spencer asked.

She nodded, leaning over and kissing Ben's forehead. "Night, Benny. I missed you."

He yawned. "Miss you too."

Derek smiled, watching as she walked to her own room, then pulled the blankets over Ben. "If you need any medicine tonight, don't worry about waking me and Daddy, okay? It's our jobs as a Daddy and a Papa to take care of you."

He nodded slightly, yawning again. "I will."

Spencer bent down, kissing his forehead. "We love you, buddy."

"Love you, Daddy. Love you, Papa."

Derek kissed his cheek before patting his arm, getting up and looking at Spencer. "I'll see you in our room in five?"

Spencer nodded, kissing his cheek. "See you then." He flicked on Ben's night light, walking out and closing the door behind him. He then walked to Parker's room, squatting beside her bed. "Thank you for being such a good girl the last few days while Papa and I had to take care of Benny. Aunt Penny told me you were _very_ good."

"I wanted to be super good, 'cause you had to take care of Benny and focus on him."

"Well, Papa and I really appreciate it." He kissed her forehead. "How about this weekend, me and you do something, just Daddy and Parker?"

"Can we?!"

"For being such a good girl? I think I can make it happen." He tucked her in. "How about you spend the rest of the week thinking what you want to do, and whatever it is within reason, we'll do it?"

"Okay, Daddy. Love you."

"Love you too, princess."

After turning on her nightlight and closing her door, he walked to his room, lying back on the bed and sighing. "Dear _God_ I missed this bed."

Derek smirked. "Tell me about it." He moved closer, and Spencer rested his head on his chest. "I think we've earned it."

"Indeed." He tilted his head up, kissing Derek's cheek, before wrapping an arm around his middle. "You gave Ben his medicine?"

"Mhm."

"Did you tell Parker you two would make plans this weekend?"

He yawned. "Yes I did."

"And did you-"

Spencer reached up, cupping a hand over Derek's mouth. "After two nights in the hospital, my answer to everything is yes. Now shh."

He smiled, kissing the top of Spencer's head. "So, you have the next kids' sick day?"

He nodded, yawning. "Let's hope the next one doesn't involve hospitalization, because he may have stayed strong, but next time I have to see one of my babies in a hospital bed? _I'm_ sure as hell not going to be."

Derek rubbed his arm. "Can't say I disagree."


	8. Trouble

**Summary:** Ben and Parker get into trouble at school.

* * *

Spencer sat at his desk, glaring at the pile in front of him: this was at least going to take him all day, if not cutting into tomorrow as well. It was already halfway through the work day and he felt as if he hadn't even made a dent in the stack. He grabbed the folder from the top and set it in front of him, flipping it open.

"Ever have that feeling our paperwork is never going to end?" Emily asked, twirling her pen in her fingers.

He nodded. "Indeed. I'm having one of them right now," he said, motioning toward his pile. "This isn't your doing, is it?"

"Believe me, I've learned over the years to never put extra case files in your pile – you always catch on and it ends up being a waste of time."

He opened his mouth to respond, but his phone rang. He reached over, answering it. "Spencer Reid."

"Mr. Morgan?"

He raised an eyebrow, sitting up straight in his chair. "Principal Williams, how are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm afraid this isn't a social call."

He groaned. "Who was it?"

"If we're going to get technical, both of them. They're sitting in my office, ready to be picked up."

He checked the clock and saw that it wasn't time to pick them up. "Excuse me?"

"There was a fight, and I need you to come get them from school."

He ran a hand over his face. "Is this something I could be told over the phone, or is it better to be done in person?"

"They're both fine," she assured him, "but they need to go home."

"I'll be there in the next twenty minutes. Goodbye, Principal Williams." He hung up, hitting his hand on the desk.

"Which kid proved their teacher wrong now?"

He shook his head. "I _wish_." He picked up the phone again, dialing Derek's extension.

"Derek Morgan."

"Hello, Derek Morgan. This is your husband, and I thought you'd like to be informed that your daughter_ and_ your son are in trouble at school right now."

JJ gasped. "_Both_?"

Spencer nodded as Derek responded. "Why is it they're _my_ son and daughter when they do something wrong, but when someone's singing their praises, they're all yours?"

"Because that's the way it works, considering I did all the hard work bringing them into this world." He stood up, packing up his bag. "Do you want to come with me? I need to pick them up at school because they got into a fight."

"A _fight_? You're sure she said Ben too?"

"Yes, Derek, _both_ of them." He pulled on his jacket. "I'll meet you at the car in ten, and I swear, if you reward either of them for pulling us out of work-"

"I won't, I'll see you there."

He hung up, groaning and closing his case file, putting it back on top of his pile.

"Let me get this straight," JJ said, sitting up in her seat, "you got a call from the school that both Parker _and_ Ben got into a fight?"

"I don't know if it was one mutual fight or two separate ones, but I didn't raise my kids to fight. The problem is Derek didn't raise his kids to take anyone's crap." He exhaled. "I have to go. Can one of you let Hotch know where we went?"

JJ nodded, getting up from her seat. "On it. Keep me updated?"

He nodded before putting his bag over his shoulder, taking the car keys out of his pocket and walking out.

* * *

Spencer wrung his hands on the steering wheel as he drove. "A _fight_, Derek. Our children were in a _fight_ at school." He turned to face him. "Where would they have learned that?"

"I honestly don't know. I taught them not to take anybody's crap, not to be bullies."

He sighed, running a hand over his face. "What do kids their age even have to fight _about - s_omeone taking the last swing in the school yard?"

"I don't know, but we're about to find out."

He parked at the school and got out of the car, Derek following him inside. He walked right to the principal's office, knocking on the desk. "Hi, Spencer Morgan, I got a call about my kids?"

"Principal Williams is in with the kids right now, trying to get the story from them, if you'd like to take a seat."

He exhaled and Derek took his hand, guiding him over to the bench and sitting him down.

Spencer pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "_Fighting_, Derek. What are they fighting about? Was it with each other? Was it with others? Was it together? Did they fight separately? We didn't raise our kids to be angry, we raised them to be accepting and to try to understand someone's side of an argument. We did teach them to stand up for themselves, but I sure as hell didn't teach them to hit."

"We don't know that they hit. It could've been a verbal argument," Derek tried to reason. "And Parker had that incident when she was in preschool, but other than that, she hasn't been in any trouble. She's a lover, not a fighter, so whether she was the ringleader or not, you know she had a good reason for whatever she did – Ben too."

He swallowed, running a hand through his hair and sighing, squeezing Derek's hand.

"They're okay, right? You were told they're okay? They're not hurt or anything?"

He nodded. "She said they're both fine, but I don't know if that's because a nurse already patched them up, or because they didn't get hurt. Only time will tell I guess."

Derek squeezed his hand then let go, reaching over and rubbing his back. "I'm sure it's nothing. Parker probably just out-sassed herself and got her and her brother in trouble for it."

"I hope you're right," Spencer said, resting his elbow on his knee and resting his chin in his hand.

The door opened and Spencer looked up to see their principal. "Would you two like to join us in here?"

He nodded, letting go of Derek's hand and getting up, walking into the office. Parker was sitting in one of the chairs, avoiding her fathers' eyes, while Ben looked up at them apologetically.

Derek leaned over, whispering in Spencer's ear. "I know you've read all the books on childhood psychology, but I've been in a principal's office more times than I can count. Let the principal talk, we'll take them home, and give them a little bit to calm down before we get their side of the story. Deal?"

He nodded, resting his hands on the back of Ben's chair, leaning forward and sighing. "What happened?"

"From what I heard from all accounts, it happened during recess. Parker was with her friends, Benjamin was with his, and the two of them didn't have any interaction prior to the argument."

Derek exhaled. "So there _was _an argument?"

She nodded, setting her hands down on the desk. "Something was said to Benjamin by a fellow classmate, and he became very vocal with his classmate, enough that it got the attention of the schoolyard, including his older sister, who immediately came to his defense. The older brother of his classmate came over and started arguing with Parker, and neither of them threw the first hit."

Spencer pinched the bridge of his nose. "So there _was_ hitting?"

"Unfortunately, the older brother got physical with Parker, and she hit him back. The younger sibling made a comment about her after shoving Benjamin, and Benjamin reacted."

Derek cleared his throat. "What was done about the situation?"

"Considering neither of them were the first to hit, they're not going to be suspended. However? I'm going to be keeping them from recess for a week, having them write lines, and I'm looking into transferring the classrooms of the two other students, so hopefully we can avoid another incident."

"Might I ask what the altercation was about?" Spencer asked, gripping the back of the chair, thinking that he would be dreading the answer.

She straightened up in her seat, looking up at him. "There were some comments made about their home life."

"What's your school's stance on homophobia? Surely there's something, considering it's such a hot topic." He eyed Derek before looking back at her. "I don't condone violence or anything of the such in my home, but my children know that they're no different than anyone else, despite their upbringing."

"We don't tolerate homophobic bullying, whether it's about a student or a parent," she quickly answered. "However, we treat this the same as any other form of bullying. If this problem persists, and Parker and Benjamin continue to be bothered, we will be looking into other methods."

"So we need to take them home?" Derek asked.

"I think it would be best for the two of them to go home and calm down, considering neither of them was too calm when giving their account of what happened." She turned to Parker and Ben. "Can the two of you please wait outside while I talk to your parents?"

Parker nodded, getting out of her chair and walking out, Ben right behind her.

She motioned for Spencer and Derek to sit down, which they did.

"I assure you that none of our faculty encouraged this behavior, as we have children with varying home lives, and we wouldn't isolate anyone."

Spencer nodded. "I appreciate that, and I know your stance on bullying, considering Parker has told me on several occasions that she needs to be a buddy, not a bully. I assure you that neither of us have ever told them to work out their problems physically: in our home, we encourage them to talk out their problems." He swallowed, clearing his throat. "I also appreciate you hearing their side on this. You know Parker and Ben as students, and neither of them are the aggressive type-"

"Which is exactly why a red flag went up when I heard it was the two of them involved."

Derek sighed, resting his hands in his lap. "What would you suggest for how we treat this situation?"

"Each parent chooses the way to handle this differently. I'm sure you," she looked toward Spencer, "have read up on the subject."

He nodded slightly. "I have, though I would like your input."

"I suggest taking them home, giving them some time to simmer down, because Parker is still a little on edge about the whole situation and Benjamin is as well, if someone starts talking about it. Once you've done that, sit them down and let them calmly explain what happened, no interruptions."

"That's fine. Are they going to be able to grab their things before they have to leave?"

"I've already had their things collected. I'll be seeing them again tomorrow morning before they go to class."

"Is there anything else we need to discuss?" Spencer asked.

"That's about it. I'm sorry for pulling the two of you away from work, but it's our school's policy if an altercation does get physical."

"It's fine, thank you for calling us." He stood up. "As great as it was to see you, Principal Williams, I pray the next time I see you is a meeting about one of them skipping a grade or receiving an academic achievement of some sort."

Derek smiled slightly. "I agree with that." He got up, shaking her hand. "Until next time."

Spencer took the car keys out of his pocket, walking out of the office and looking at Parker and Ben, who were sitting on a bench together, Parker rubbing his back.

"Are you two ready to go home?" he asked.

They nodded, both picking up their backpacks and putting them over their shoulders. Spencer went to walk away and Derek grabbed his arm, whispering in his ear.

"Remember, we're not mad at them. They need to tell their side before we have an opinion on it."

He took a deep breath before nodding, taking Ben's hand and walking out, Derek doing the same with Parker.

* * *

After they got back home, Spencer sighed, putting his keys on the hook. "Both of you go to your rooms, and when you're ready to talk, sit on the couch."

"…Can I do my homework?" Parker asked, quickly looking up at him.

"Good idea. Ben, you do yours too," Derek said, taking off his jacket. "And I want your tablet."

He walked to his room, unplugging it and walking out, handing it to Derek, plug and all. He set it on the kitchen counter and watched as they walked to their separate rooms, putting their backpacks on their beds and starting their homework.

He turned to Spencer, leaning against the counter. "So what do we do, resident genius?"

Spencer smiled slightly, resting his head on Derek's shoulder. "We talk to them. We sit them down together, and we ask for their take on what happened." He looked up at Derek. "Once they go to bed tonight, can _we_ talk?"

"Of course." Derek kissed the top of his head, rubbing his arm. "So you don't think a divide and conquer tactic is the best bet?"

"Considering one eyelash bat from Parker or a pout from Ben and we both come undone? No, splitting up is a _horrible_ idea. If they're together, we hear both accounts, and there's going to be no different versions to try to find the truth in."

"Considering neither is very big on lying, I'd say it's going to be pretty easy to get it out of them." He looked down at him. "Are you still pissed?"

He quickly shook his head. "I'm confused more than anything."

"Well, hopefully we can get the answers out of them and clear your head a little bit."

He nodded, taking Derek's hand and walking to the living room, sitting down on the couch and kicking his shoes off, putting his feet up and leaning against Derek.

* * *

A while later, Derek turned his head to see Parker walking into Ben's room, sitting beside him on the bed and whispering in his ear. Not long after, he nodded, getting up and walking toward the living room.

"Daddy? Papa?" Parker asked, looking at them.

"What is it, Princess?" Spencer asked.

"…We're ready to talk."

Spencer sat up, grabbing the remote and turning the TV off. He then moved over, making room between the two of them. Ben took a seat next to him, while Parker sat down next to Derek.

"Let's start with you, buddy," Derek said, looking at Ben, "because whatever happened today started with something that somebody said to you."

He looked down at his lap, playing with his hands. "I was playing dodgeball with my friends, and Parker was on the other side, talking to her friends. One of the kids in my class walked up to me and said I was a freak." He blinked a few times. "And I said I'm not a freak, I'm a human, just like him, 'cause I am. He told me that having two daddies is wrong, because that's not how it's supposed to be. I told him that he can't say what's wrong and right, and he called me stupid for not believing him." He looked up at Parker before looking back at his lap. "He yelled that I was stupid and couldn't defend myself, and that I'd never be a grown up being like that, and he pushed me down."

"Is this where you came in?" Derek asked, glancing at Parker.

She nodded. "I heard them yelling, and I saw Benny on the ground, and you said nobody ever lays a hand on a Morgan, so I ran over to ask him why he did it, and he called me stupid too. He said us not having a woman parent makes us freaks, and I told him he was wrong. Then his big brother came over and started yelling at me for yelling at him, but I didn't, Papa. I didn't yell or raise my voice or anything, I promise."

He sighed, rubbing her arm. "I believe you. Then what happened?"

"He started yelling at Benny, so I told him to pick on someone his own size, because Benny started crying. You know Benny doesn't like yelling and he cries, it's not a bad thing, it's just who he is. Then he yelled at me for defending him, because I'm a freak and should be ashamed, but I'm not. I like my family and I don't want to change it for anything."

Spencer took a deep breath, sighing. "Did you hit him, Parker?"

She nodded before looking down. "He hit me first," she mumbled, pulling up her sweater and motioning toward a bandage on her arm. "The nurse fixed it, but I got a big scrape. After he hit me, I didn't cry. I got back up and I hit him back. Nobody is ever supposed to lay a hand on someone else, and I know I shouldn't have done it, but I did, and I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence before Spencer spoke up. "Are you hurt too, Ben?"

"Just a bruise."

Spencer looked up at Derek before sighing. "And did the recess monitor bring you four inside after the hits?"

Parker nodded. "After I hit him is when she saw, and she brought us inside – me and his brother went to the nurse first, 'cause I hit his nose. Then we went to see the principal and had to tell the story."

"Did their parents say anything to you?"

"What does that have to-" Spencer started, but Derek put up his hand.

"Did they?"

Ben shook his head. "No, but they told them they did nothing wrong when they left. But they did, Papa. They did a lot wrong."

Spencer sighed, rubbing his back. "I know."

"Are we in trouble?" Parker asked, looking between them.

Derek gave Spencer a look before shrugging. "Daddy and I are going to talk about it. Can you two go back to your rooms?"

"…Can I read?"

"Go for it, buddy. You too, Parker."

Ben got off the couch, walking toward his room.

"Parker?"

She looked up at Spencer, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry I lied, Daddy."

"…About what? Did you not tell us the truth just now?"

She shook her head. "I did, I promise. I didn't lie there."

"When did you lie?"

"I promised I wouldn't solve a problem with my fists again, and I'd use words, but I didn't, and I'm sorry."

He reached for a tissue, wiping her eyes and kissing her forehead. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"

She nodded before getting off the couch, walking to her room and closing the door.

* * *

Spencer buried his head in his hands, groaning.

"You okay over there, Pretty Boy?"

He shook his head, getting up and walking into the backyard, resting his hands against the beams on the porch. Derek followed him out, leaving the door open a crack in case the kids needed them. He reached out, rubbing Spencer's back.

"They did it because of _us_, Derek. This isn't something involving them. They got into a fight because of _us_, because of what we are." He gripped the beam, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "It'd be different if they fought because of something involving them, like Parker saying something or Ben doing something he shouldn't, but they have kids at school making fun of them because of us and our relationship. How exactly are we supposed to punish them for defending themselves and trying to prove they're just as good as anybody else?"

"We could _not_ punish them," Derek suggested, leaning beside him.

"And what, let the fact that they fought at school go unpunished?"

"They're not going to have recess for a week and they'll be writing lines. I'd say that's punishment enough for them."

He bit his lip. "What do we do or say here? The last time we did this, Parker was two and a half, and she didn't really grasp the concept of it all. We don't have the luxury of them not knowing the gravity of the situation."

"You don't have an answer?"

He shook his head. "I really don't. On one hand, they fought, and that's a bad thing that needs to be punished, but on the other? They were defending their family, and standing up for themselves. Not only that, they were trying to show the other kids that they're just as normal as the rest of them. I see reason to punish them, but at the same time, how can we?"

He wrapped an arm around Spencer, rubbing his back and reaching up to squeeze his shoulder. "I get it. Maybe this is one of those times we give them one of those stern talking to's, instead of resorting to punishment, but if the same thing happens again, we consider them being in trouble?"

He nodded slightly. "I think we can do that."

"Do you still need to talk tonight?"

"Yes, when little ears are fast asleep."

They walked back into the house, Derek clearing his throat. "Ben, Parker, can you come to the living room please?"

Within a minute, the two of them were sat down on the couch as they had been before, both looking up at their fathers for an answer.

"Are we in trouble?" Parker asked again.

Spencer sat beside her. "Do you know why that happened today, Parker?"

She shook her head. "No, I just know people think different."

He sighed, rubbing her back. "There are some people out there who think a family needs to be a woman and a man, and there's no changing their mind about it. It's what they were raised to believe, and anybody who's going to tell them different is automatically wrong."

"But why?" Ben asked.

Derek sat next to him. "It's just the way they were raised. We raised you to be open and honest and know not to judge people on their background, but on their character. Unfortunately, some people weren't so lucky, and they were raised on what their parents believe is right and wrong."

"That's not fun."

Spencer shook his head. "No, it's not, but that doesn't mean anything negative about whoever says it, because it's not their fault, it's just how they're raised. It only becomes a problem when there's an altercation, like you two had on the playground today. Ben, it's okay that you didn't fight back with your hands and tried with your words, because that's how we raised you."

Derek looked at Parker. "And Parker, you're right, you shouldn't have hit, but it was a reaction, and Papa gets that. It's happened to him before, and when it's not the right thing to do, sometimes it's just a reflex-"

"But that doesn't mean that's how you solve your problems," Spencer quickly added.

She nodded, looking away from them.

"What are you going to do from now on if there's a problem, Ben?" Derek asked, squeezing his arm.

Ben thought to himself before looking up at him. "I get an adult, because kids can't always solve their own problems."

Derek kissed his forehead. "Good job."

"And Parker?" Spencer said. "What if someone says something you don't like?"

"I try not to respond, because that's what they want. If I argue, they win, and if I fight, they win more."

"I'd say we raised a couple of smart ones," Derek said, looking over at Spencer.

Spencer nodded. "One more thing, Parker."

She winced. "How much trouble?"

He shook his head. "You have to give me the world's biggest hug for being a big girl and defending your family today."

She leaned over, wrapping her arms around his middle and squeezing as tightly as she could. Spencer bent his head down, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her back. "Thank you for standing up for me and Papa today, even though it didn't end up like you'd hoped. And thank you for defending your little brother when he couldn't."

She nodded. "I promise, I'll _always_ look out for Benny."

"That's all I ask."

Derek looked at Ben. "Your turn, little man."

Ben moved closer to him before wrapping his arms around him. "I'm sorry, Papa."

"Don't be." He rubbed his back. "Just, next time, get an adult or fix your problems with words, okay? And if either of them give either of you trouble ever again, you don't need to be scared. You tell me or Daddy, and we'll take care of it, because that's part of our jobs. Is that clear?"

He nodded against him. "I promise."

Parker shook her head, holding up her pinky. "Make it count, Benny."

Ben held up his pinky, and while Spencer wrapped his around Parker's, Derek wrapped his around Ben's.

* * *

Once they were both back in their rooms, Spencer turned to Derek. "I'd say tonight is a good night for making family dinner together. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great. Do you want me to take them out of the house to go grocery shopping?"

"If you could – and pick up some big bandaids. We're going to need them for that scrape on Parker's arm."

He leaned over, lifting Spencer's chin and kissing him. "You update the aunts, I'll grab them. Deal?"

He nodded. "Deal."

When Derek left the house with the kids, Spencer sat on the couch, looking at the time. He saw that it was still the workday and took his phone out of his pocket, calling JJ.

"Jennifer Jareau, how can I help you?" she answered.

He leaned back on the couch. "You could do me a favor and take some files off of Mount Saint Case Files on my desk?"

She shook her head. "Oh, definitely not going to happen. I've got my own mountain going on."

"It was a worth a try."

She smirked, sitting up and leaning against the desk.

"Reid?" Emily asked.

She nodded. "How did it go? What happened?"

"All I can say for the last few hours of my life is _wow_," he started, running a hand through his hair.

"That bad, huh?"

"You could say that."

"Did one of them initiate, or?"

He shook his head, recalling the story and telling every detail to JJ.

"So, let me get this straight, a kid went after _Ben_ just because of you two? Did this kid realize that Ben rarely ever talks to anyone, let alone his inability to handle a confrontation?"

"Believe me, I know." He sat up, sighing. "But believe it or not, he held his own. Like I said, Parker only got involved when he laid a finger on Ben."

"And she took on a kid that's a year older than her all on her own?"

"That she did."

JJ raised her eyebrows. "So what happened?"

"The two other kids were suspended for starting the fight and it's entirely possible they're being moved to separate classrooms. Meanwhile, Parker and Ben have a week of withheld recess and writing lines for retaliating the way they did."

She scoffed. "So _they're_ in trouble for the two other kids being ignorant? That hardly seems fair."

He shrugged. "It's what the school does in the situation. I can't exactly step in and say 'no, you're doing it wrong'."

"So are things tense at home right now?"

"No, actually. We let them explain their side of the story, we talked it out, and we came to an agreement that since this is both of their first offenses at school, we're not going to punish them on top of the school punishment."

"How are you handling it?"

He sighed. "Tell you the truth, I'm really not. My kids shouldn't be suffering for what I chose to do with my life. Our relationship shouldn't be a factor that other kids can use against them in an argument to try to prove that they're inferior to the rest of them."

"I'm really sorry, Spence," she told him, "is there anything I can do?"

"I have both kids out at the grocery store with Derek now, picking up ingredients to cook dinner together tonight, and I'm going to talk to Derek tonight once the kids are in bed. If I do need anything, venting over a coffee tomorrow morning?"

"I'll even treat. If you need anything at all today, just give me a call, I'll be here."

"I might hold you to that."

"Feel free. Not that I'm not enjoying the conversation and knowing that my goddaughter has fight in her, but I have," she quickly counter, "eighteen case files to plow through and I'm not the greatest multitasker. Talk to you in the morning?"

"That sounds like a plan. Thank you, JJ."

"Anytime, little brother."

He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket, sighing.

Meanwhile, at the grocery store, Derek had both kids holding onto the cart while he pushed it around.

"Papa?" Parker asked, grabbing the noodles and putting them into the cart.

"What is it, Princess?" he looked through the sauces and picked one up, handing it to Ben.

Ben put it into the cart and looked at Parker, who nodded. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not yelling at us and understanding," Parker told him as he pushed the cart into the next aisle, letting them grab some juice. "Billy _said_ that you were just gonna yell at not try listening, because that's what your kind do when they want something."

Derek resisted the urge to scoff and took a deep breath. "Well, he was wrong. You know Daddy and I don't yell at you, and we're always going to be there to listen, no matter what."

"So he was wrong?"

He nodded. "He was definitely wrong."

When they made it to the checkout, he looked at the two of them. "If we do something, can the two of you keep it a secret from Daddy?"

Ben looked at him, confused. "Do something like what?"

"I don't know about you two, but I think I want an ice cream."

"But Daddy said not to reward us when we were in the car," Parker reminded him.

"For being so strong today and _not_ resorting to violence the first chance you got? I think that deserves an ice cream. So long as someone," he looked at Ben, "can keep it a secret."

Ben thought to himself before nodding. "I promise."

"Just one scoop, just one flavor, and you have to save room for dinner. Deal?"

Parker nodded, reaching out for his hand and shaking it. "Deal."

* * *

After dinner that night, they sat in the living room together with a movie playing: a dinosaur movie that Ben had chosen. Parker and Ben were sitting on some cushions on the floor while Derek and Spencer were on the couch, Spencer with his head on Derek's shoulder.

"Parker, are your clothes set out for school tomorrow?" Derek asked, looking down at her.

She nodded. "Uh huh."

"Then tell me, smarty pants, what are you wearing?"

"My jeans, a tutu, and a purple shirt. If someone wants to call me a freak, I'll give them a good show."

Spencer rubbed his temple. "Our daughter spends far too much time around Penelope Garcia."

Derek smiled. "That she does. And what shoes, princess?"

"Just my sneakers and socks: an orange one and a blue."

Derek eyed Spencer. "Too much time around _Garcia_?"

He shrugged. "It's her choice."

When they finished reading the story to them, Derek turned to Parker. "Can you go wait in your room while we tuck Ben in? We'll be there in a minute."

She nodded, leaning over on Ben's bed and wrapping her arms around him, hugging him. "_Never_ forget I love you, Benny. I'm gonna _always_ protect you."

He smirked, hugging her and rubbing her back. "Love you too, and thank you."

She patted his back a few times before climbing off the bed, walking to her own room and sitting on her bed, waiting.

Spencer reached back, setting Ben's pillows down and fluffing them. "Did you learn a lesson today, Ben?"

He nodded. "Uh huh."

"And what was that?"

"I'm not any different from any one else 'cause I have a Daddy and a Papa. I don't need a lady parent to be normal."

Derek bent his head down, kissing his forehead. "Good job."

"_And_ don't hit, ever, 'cause it's not right, even if someone hits you first."

Spencer looked over at Derek. "We raised a smart one."

"I'd say so."

Ben laid down and Spencer grabbed the blankets, pulling them over him. "I love you, Ben."

"Love you too, Daddy."

Derek leaned over, turning on his night light and grabbing his dinosaur off the floor, handing it to him. He watched as Ben clung it and smiled. "Thank you for being such a grown-up today, Ben."

He gave him a thumbs up. "I learn from the best."

Spencer smiled to himself before kissing Ben's cheek. "Get some sleep, buddy."

Derek patted his leg before getting up, walking to Parker's room. Spencer went to get up and Ben grabbed his arm.

He sat back down. "You okay?"

He nodded, sitting up and wrapping his arms around his father's middle, pulling him into a hug. He smiled, rubbing his back. "What's this for?"

"For being my Daddy."

"I think I can get used to this." He ran his fingers through Ben's hair before bending down and kissing his forehead.

Ben laid back down, clinging his dinosaur and curling up. Spencer placed a kiss on his cheek before tucking him in and walking out, closing the door behind him.

He was about to walk into Parker's room when he heard her talking to Derek. He stepped back, leaning against the wall and listening in.

"I'm really sorry that I hit someone again, Papa."

Derek sat beside her, pulling her into his lap and kissing the top of her head. "Why did you do it?"

She reached down, playing with his wedding band. "I saw him push Ben. He's my brother, and if someone has a problem, they talk to me, they don't use their hands. His brother ran over pushed me down, and I didn't want to. I just, I don't know why, I did it."

"Did you tell him you were sorry at least?"

She nodded, looking up at him. "I did, I promise. When were in the office, I looked right at him and I said I was sorry for hitting him, 'cause it was wrong."

"And what did he say?"

"He didn't listen. But I tried, Papa, I did."

"I believe you." He ran a hand through her hair. "Did your brother apologize too?"

"Uh huh."

"Then I'd say that we raised you right."

She smiled. "I promise, I'll try not to ever hit someone again. I'm too good for that."

"And with your sass, trust me, your mouth is enough of a weapon."

She wrinkled her nose. "Nuh uh."

"Oh yes, it is."

"Daddy!"

Spencer shook his head, walking into the room. "What did Papa say now?"

"He said my mouth is a weapon 'cause I'm sassy."

He thought, tapping a finger to his chin before shrugging. "I'm sorry, princess, but I'd say this is one of very few times ever that Papa's right."

"What Daddy said." Derek paused before turning to him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." He sat beside Parker, kissing her forehead. "Do you need to talk?"

She shook her head. "Benny talked to you, I talked to Papa. I'm okay."

"Good girl."

Derek laid her down, tucking her in, while Spencer grabbed her turtle off the floor, setting it beside her. "Did you do your homework?"

"Mhm," she mumbled, grabbing her turtle and holding it against her chest. "I love you, Daddy and Papa."

"We love you too," Spencer told her, kissing her cheek and Derek following suit. "Sweet dreams."

Derek turned on her night light before getting up, walking to their room.

* * *

"Is there a reason there was an ice cream stain on Ben's shirt?" Spencer asked, leaning against the headboard and eyeing Derek.

Derek shrugged. "They could've had it with lunch today?"

Spencer shook his head. "I really don't think so, considering you packed their lunches this morning, and I know for a fact you didn't pack ice cream. So, if I were you, I'd be talking."

He exhaled. "Well, I know that you said not to reward them, so I didn't go overboard. And they still had room for dinner, so I wouldn't say it was so much of a reward as just a pleasant surprise."

Spencer rubbed his temples. "I say don't reward them, and you find a way to give them _ice cream_ without it _really_ being a reward?"

"Sounds about right?"

"Do tell me why Daddy _always_ has to be the bad guy with our kids?"

Derek shrugged. "Because Papa feels the need to be the fun one."

Spencer leaned over, flicking him. "If Papa doesn't cut the crap and let Daddy be fun for a change, there's going to be consequences of the abstinence kind."

"…I think it's time for Daddy to be the fun one."

"I thought so."

"Do you still need that talk?" Derek asked, wrapping an arm around him.

He nodded slightly, chewing on his cheek.

"Is it about what happened with the kids today?"

He nodded again, swallowing. "I just, I don't understand."

Derek made a motion to reach for his phone. "Hold on. Let me call the press."

Spencer smiled slightly, swatting at his chest. "That's not what I meant."

"Then talk to me. What is it?"

He took a deep breath, sighing. "I don't get it. I don't understand how parents can pass on such ignorance and distaste for people without even getting to know them. They just let their kids have the mindset of 'you're different so you're wrong'. It just, it baffles me how people can be so close minded."

Derek squeezed his arm, rubbing it. "Pretty Boy, we spend every day on the job trying to figure out exactly what people are thinking and their reasoning behind it, and I can honestly tell you, to this day, I _still_ don't get it. I know the minds of some of the worst criminals out there, but that doesn't mean I understand why they think that way."

Spencer sniffed, biting down on his lip and wiping his eyes.

"But that's not all, is it?"

He quickly shook his head.

"Then what?"

He shifted uncomfortably before looking up at Derek. "It's my fault."

"What are you talking about?"

He wiped his eyes again before taking a deep breath, sighing. "It's because of me they're fighting at school, Derek. It's because of us, and what we chose to do with our lives. Because we chose to be together and raise her, then decided to have Ben, they're being punished for it, and it's _not_ fair." His voice started cracking and he cleared his throat. "I'm their parent and I'm supposed to be able to protect them, but I don't know how to shelter them from the truth."

Derek wrapped his arms around Spencer, pulling him into a hug and kissing the top of his head, before running his fingers through his hair.

"How am I supposed to be _okay_ with the fact that people are looking at our children differently because they're ours? How is it fair to them that because _we_ chose this lifestyle, _they_ have to suffer with people making comments and whispering about them when they're around?"

He rested Spencer's head on his shoulder, rubbing his back. "It sucks, it really does, but kids are vicious. They're going to find anything they can to pick on other kids to feel better about their own insecurities. You know that from firsthand experience, and so do I. You were younger, so you apparently _had_ to be made fun of. I was short and scrawny, so I was an easy target. Much like our job, it only needs to make sense in their mind."

Spencer sniffed, trying to relax and catch his breath. "But it's cruel. They can't help what they were born into. Because they have a loving family that's different than someone else's loving family, they're different and deserve to be ridiculed? It's not _fair_."

"No, it's not." He sighed, rubbing Spencer's arm. "But we just have to show our kids that they're no different from anyone else, no matter who their parents are."

"I know, but I just-"

Derek grabbed his cheeks. "Do you regret having them?"

Spencer gasped. "No, not for a single second."

"Do you feel the least bit sorry or embarrassed for involving me?"

"I would never-"

"Do you wish we hadn't gotten married and had Ben?"

Spencer scoffed. "Derek, that's ridiculous-"

"Then _stop_ beating yourself up over something we can't control." He leaned in to place a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you, and not a damn thing anyone says or does is going to change that. People can have a problem with us, and I don't give a damn, because I don't know about you, but _I'm_ happy with what I have, and I think our kids should be proud of that."

Spencer swallowed, sniffling. "But what about when someone else decides to take our problem with us up with them?"

Derek reached his thumbs up, wiping Spencer's eyes. "We do the same thing we did this time. We listen to them, we understand, and we show them that this family is nothing to be ashamed of. Are you with me?"

He sighed, biting his lip and nodding.

Before long, Derek had Spencer calmed down and laid him down on the bed, pulling him close enough so he could rest his head on his chest. He then pulled the blankets up and ran his hand up and down Spencer's back, humming softly until his breathing had evened out again.

"Thank you," Spencer said softly, looking up at him.

Derek kissed the top of his head. "Anytime. Besides, _I_ got to be the genius in the relationship for a change."

Spencer smirked. "Don't get used to it."

"So are you over it?" Derek asked. "Are you done with the self-doubt and self-loathing for what happened today, because I have to tell you, Spencer, that you don't _ever_ need to do that as long as you have me around to talk you down."

He nodded against his chest, wrapping an arm around him. "I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Positive." He moved that little bit closer, smiling to himself. "And you're right by the way."

"I know I am, but what exactly are we referring to?"

"The fact that our daughter has _nothing_ to worry about in a fight, because her mouth is the worst weapon she's equipped with."

Derek laughed to himself before kissing Spencer's forehead. "Come on, let's get some sleep. We've got _plenty_ of paperwork to catch up on in the morning."

Spencer made a dissatisfied grunting noise before burying his head in Derek's chest.


	9. What If?

**Summary:** What if Derek had never found out about Parker, and Spencer raised her alone?

* * *

Spencer sat at his desk, burying his head in his hands. He hadn't slept at all last night: more like took a few naps, none of which lasted more than ten minutes. For some reason, Parker had refused to sleep and opted to spend the entire night crying instead. He willed himself to stay awake, but it was slowly becoming a losing battle. Just as he was about to fall asleep, someone knocked on his desk. His head shot up and he looked at JJ, clearing his throat and sitting up straight, attempting to look busy.

She sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Another rough night?"

He nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Apparently sleep is nothing but a distant memory in my house." He reached over, taking a sip of his coffee. "I miss sleep. You'd think after not getting it for nearly ten months, she'd go easy on me." He laughed to himself. "That was my first mistake."

She leaned against his desk, biting on her lip. "Spence, there's a very easy solution to all of this-"

He gave her a look. "I told you, I'm handling it. She's my daughter and she's my responsibility, _not_ his."

She lowered her voice. "But technically, she is half his. He may not be on the birth certificate and you may not have told him, but she is Derek's daughter, and he could help."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. He didn't bother to remember the night she was made, so I'm not tying him down. If a night with me and making his daughter wasn't worth remembering, I'm not going to reward him with the knowledge that she's his. Now can we drop it?"

Reaching over him, she grabbed his coffee cup, leaning down to whisper in his ear. "I just want you to be happy, Spence. This is starting to affect you at work, and I don't want to see you get in any trouble because you're being stubborn." Before he could respond, she picked up his cup, walking to the break room and refilling it.

Emily set down her folder, eyeing Spencer across from her desk. "Everything okay?"

He sighed, nodding. "Everything's fine."

She pointed to his shoulder. "Is that why you showed up to work this morning with spit-up on your shoulder?"

He paused, glancing over at his shoulder and groaning, grabbing a tissue and wiping it off before burying his head in his hands, taking a deep breath.

"She's not going easy on you, is she?"

He shook his head. "No, definitely not. I commend all single parents out there, because to put it nicely, this sucks."

"I'll bet." JJ walked by, setting the coffee in the middle of his desk, not looking at him and going directly to her office, closing the door. Emily raised an eyebrow, pointing to JJ's office. "Everything okay with you two?"

He shrugged, looking back at his paperwork.

When 5:00 came around, he glanced at the clock and was extremely thankful, getting up and packing up his things. He yawned, putting his coat on and putting his bag over his shoulder, stretching before taking the last gulp of his coffee.

Emily eyed him. "Do you need a ride home, Reid?"

He shook his head slightly. "I'll be fine. Just a quick train ride and I'll be home."

She buttoned up her jacket. "Come on, you're dead on your feet. At least let me drive you this once." He thought about it and before he could answer, yawned again. "Okay, now I'm insisting." She grabbed her car keys off of her desk. "Let's go."

He followed her to her car and got in, thanking her a few times and setting his bag down, buckling himself in. She started the car, pulling out of the parking spot and driving.

Not long after, she attempted some small talk with him, but looked over and realized that he had fallen asleep. She sighed, turning up the heat to make him more comfortable. She knew she wasn't the only one to realize how hard everything was on him, and that every single person on the team was worried. She only wished the ride could've been a little longer so he could've gotten a little more sleep, considering it was probably the only sleep he'd be getting.

Parking in front of his building, she reached over, shaking his arm. "Reid, we're here."

He took a deep breath, opening his eyes and wincing at the sunset. "I'm sorry, I must've dozed off."

"Don't worry about it. I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded, picking up his bag and unbuckling himself, getting out of the car and walking inside.

Emily watched the window, making sure he was in his apartment, before driving away.

It wasn't that Spencer hated being a parent: that wasn't the situation at all. He loved coming home at the end of the day, dismissing the nanny, and devoting every single second to Parker. Having someone who was completely dependent on him and being the person who could put a smile on her face was one of the most rewarding things on the planet. There were, however, several drawbacks. He couldn't go on cases with the team, because he didn't feel comfortable leaving Parker for long periods of time, so he was stuck working with Garcia in her office while they were gone. Any time there were nights where the team met up for drinks or cooking lessons at Rossi's, he had to either find a way to bring her or decline the invitation. Very rarely was there a 'night out' for him, and the only kind he got was when someone would offer to take her for a few hours so he could have some time to himself, which usually resulted in him getting sleep. He was always tired, and as a result, very irritable, even with a ton of coffee in his system. He never regretted having Parker for a single second, because she was his everything, but sometimes parenting took its toll on him.

* * *

A few days later was the first time Spencer finally broke down. He had fed, burped, bathed, and changed Parker, but she wouldn't stop crying. He tried everything he could possibly think of from the books, but nothing was working. He ended up setting her in the bassinet and sitting on his bed, head buried in his hands and crying. After reading all of the books, he thought he'd be able to handle parenting, but tonight was proving that he could read up on something all he wants, but it's not going to be enough. It took a couple minutes before he reached for his phone, realizing he needed help.

"Hey, Boy Wonder, how's my princess doing-" she paused, "what's wrong?"

He sniffed, wiping his eyes. "I don't know what I'm doing and I'm a complete failure. I did everything, I don't know what's wrong, and she won't stop crying."

She sighed. "Reid, I'll be there in ten minutes, okay? I just need you to spend the next ten minutes trying to calm her down. You are a _great_ parent. You are a lot of things, Spencer Reid, but you are _not_ a failure, you hear me?"

He picked up Parker, resting her against his knees and sighing, pushing her hair back. "Tell that to her." He tried to calming her down, but sighed, screwing his eyes shut. "She seems to think otherwise."

Garcia packed up her bag. "She's just a baby, and you're the world as far as she knows. She doesn't hate you, she just doesn't have her own way to communicate to tell you what's wrong. I'll be there soon, sweetie. Just try to calm down."

"I don't want to be a bother, Garcia, I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for." She grabbed her car keys. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

He wiped his eyes, sniffing. "Thank you."

"No problem, 187."

She hung up and he took a deep breath, sighing, lying back and resting Parker on his chest, rubbing her back. "Come on, Parker," he whispered, kissing the top of her head, "it's Daddy, and I love you _very_ much. _Please_ calm down."

When the response to that was another scream, he screwed his eyes shut, willing himself not to start crying again. He reached on the nightstand for a pacifier, putting it in her mouth and rubbing her back, humming. "Princess, _please_ go easy on Daddy. This nightly routine of 'cry until Daddy cries' is _really_ hard on me. I just want you to be happy and healthy and crying this much is making you neither of those things."

Garcia let herself into Spencer's apartment a few minutes later, setting her bag down by the door and walking to the bedroom. Surprisingly, she found Spencer fast asleep, Parker sucking on a pacifier curled up on his chest, looking up at him. Relieved, she picked up the infant, kissing her forehead and rubbing her back.

"You really need to go easy on him," she whispered. "He gave up a _lot_ to have you, and he's deadset on doing this by himself." She reached down, pulling a blanket over Spencer and tucking him in. She walked out to the living room, setting Parker in her swing and buckling her in, turning it on. "So _you're_ the reason your Daddy comes into work in a zombie mode and falls asleep, huh?" she asked, tickling her. "You're lucky you're so cute, little one." Parker smiled up at her and she smirked. "We're going to let your Daddy sleep, aren't we? Yeah, because he hasn't had a night's sleep in _weeks. _Aunt JJ took those few days off after you came home, but I'm pretty sure you've deprived him for the past few months."

Spencer woke up several hours later, confused. He didn't remember falling sleep, and he definitely didn't remember Parker falling asleep. He sat up, stretching slightly and looking over at the clock: how did he manage to sleep until 4:00 in the morning? It instantly hit him that something had to be wrong with Parker if he hadn't heard her crying at all during the night. Turning to his right, he checked the bassinet, but didn't see her there. Panic immediately set in and he jumped out of bed, running to the nursery and seeing that too was empty. If something happened to Parker because he fell asleep, he'd never forgive himself. He walked out to the living room and saw Garcia feeding Parker, humming softly.

Relieved, Spencer sat down beside her. "I didn't hear you come in."

"That's because you were passed out cold," she said with a smile, adjusting the bottle. "I came in and you were fast asleep, and this one was looking up at you and sucking on her pacifier. Looks like you finally found the secret –pacify her."

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "I'm sorry for bothering you. I just – I couldn't think of what else to do. She wouldn't stop crying and I hadn't slept in I don't even know how long, and-"

She put up her hand. "I want you to go get a few more hours of sleep. I'm off tomorrow, I can stay up with her. If you fall asleep at your desk one more time, I'm pretty sure the director's going to get involved. Now, kiss her goodnight and I'll wake you up when you have to get ready for work."

He wanted to object but sighed. "Thank you, Garcia. You have no idea what this means."

"I'm sure I do.."

He bent his head down, kissing Parker's forehead and putting his finger in her hand. "I love you, Princess. Be good for Aunt Penny."

"She's going to be fine, worrywart. Go get some sleep."

He got off of the couch, walking toward his bedroom. At the last second, he turned around to face her. "Garcia, can this stay between us?"

She looked up at him. "Our little secret, 187."

He smiled appreciatively, walking into his room.

* * *

Since then, there had been one night a week where Garcia just happened to need something from Spencer, and it would result in her watching Parker for a few hours while Spencer would get some sleep, even if it was only for a couple of hours. The pacifier had, in fact, been a godsend, and it was coming to his rescue a lot more than he expected. There were now some nights where Spencer would actually sleep for a couple of hours while she did, and it was one of the greatest things he'd ever experienced.

One morning, he woke up to Garcia in his apartment, making him breakfast. He tried insisting that he didn't need it, but she wasn't going to have that. She made him breakfast, waited with him until the nanny showed up, then drove him into work. Though he was never the type of person to depend on someone, he really enjoyed this system.

"I take it you have everything under control?" Emily asked.

He shook his head. "Not _all_ under control, but I have a system."

She raised an eyebrow. "A system?"

"Mhm. I dismiss the nanny, Parker gets a bath, I feed her, I change her, she stays up for a little bit in her swing, she gets fussy when I change her again, but that's nothing her pacifier won't fix. Then she goes down for a couple of hours while I _actually_ sleep."

"Just a couple of hours?"

"It's more than I was getting," he reasoned, taking a sip of his coffee. "Two hours sure beats a combination of thirty minutes."

She smiled. "I'll bet. Rossi's having us over for another cooking lesson tonight, are you in?"

He shook his head again. "I don't think I can. I finally have something that works and I don't think changing the routine is the way to go."

"It's just a few hours," she started, "and I think it'll do both of you some good to get out of your apartment."

He took a deep breath, sighing. "Yeah, I'll just be late. It takes a while to get everything ready for her."

"No problem. Do you need a ride, or-"

"Garcia drove me in today, so I'm sure she'll be offering in no time. Thank you, though."

That night, Garcia drove the two of them to Spencer's apartment and kept an eye on Parker while Spencer walked into the nursery, packing the diaper bag.

"Too much?" he asked, looking over at her.

She looked through it. "That's a _lot_, but not really an exaggeration, considering it's one of your first trips out of the house with her." She handed Parker to him and zipped up the bag, picking up her swing. "You get the little princess ready and I'll meet you in the car."

He laid her on the changing table, changing her and putting her in a dress. "I know, I know, you're a baby and you don't need to be all dolled up, but I'd _really_ appreciate it if we could keep this clean for more than an hour or so." He pulled on her tights and jacket, zipping it and putting on her hat. "We're going to see your aunts and uncles tonight, and you being on your best behavior would be amazing. They haven't seen you in a while, and Aunt JJ hasn't been by since her and Daddy had a disagreement, so I want you to show her that Daddy is doing a great job." She looked up at him and he smiled to himself, buckling her into her carrier and putting a blanket over her. "There we go."

He walked out to the car and snapped her carrier into the base, checking it and getting in himself.

"Ready for a Daddy's Night Out?"

He smiled. "We'll see how successful it is." He reached back, clipping a few toys to the handle of her carrier.

"How's the nanny working for you?"

He shrugged. "Okay. She's with Parker whenever I'm not and she's really great with her."

"So… why don't you go on cases?"

He sighed, leaning back in his seat. "I like her and I trust her, but I'm all Parker has. If something goes wrong, I need to be there. I'm not like Hotch and JJ. I don't have family to depend on. I've only known this woman for a few months and I'm not at a point where I'm ready to leave her with Parker for over 24 hours."

"I understand." She reached over, ruffling his hair. "She's your world now, and priorities change. This nanny may be great and come highly recommended, but she's not you."

"Exactly. And Rossi's doing me a huge favor paying her for me. I've tried insisting that he doesn't need to but-"

"He's a stubborn old Italian man. Believe me, we all know."

When they parked at Rossi's, Garcia grabbed the bags and swing while Spencer picked up the carrier, walking up to the house and opening the door.

"Sorry I'm late," he announced, setting her carrier down and wrapping her in a blanket, picking her up and kissing her forehead. "I had to get her ready which is no easy task."

Emily smiled. "It is _totally_ okay." She took Parker from him, rubbing her back. "Hello there, princess. You going easy on your Daddy these days?"

Spencer smiled slightly as Parker curled up against Emily's chest. "Garcia's just setting up her pack and play and swing now, then we can get this started."

"That's fine, because we're waiting on Hotch and JJ to get here."

"…Morgan's already here?"

She pointed to a room. "Some form of sports game is on. If you'd like, you can take a break and I'll keep an eye on this little cutie until she goes down."

"Are you sure?"

"I offered, so yes, I'm sure. Go take a few minutes to yourself."

He thanked her, walking to the back room and taking a seat in one of the armchairs.

"Hey, Pretty Boy," Derek said, acknowledging that he'd entered the room but eyes still on the TV. "Surprised you could make it."

He ran a hand over his face. "My nanny couldn't stay the night, so I had to bring Parker with me. I'll probably only be able to stay as long as she's asleep, but," he shrugged, "it's better than nothing."

Derek turned his attention away from the game. "You're really only allowed a social life as long as she's sleeping?"

He nodded. "Afraid so, but that's my life now. I wake up, I go to work, I come home, and every waking moment is devoted to her."

"Doesn't that ever get to be too much?"

"Sometimes," he admitted, "there are some nights where it all just comes down on me that I'm alone with her and yes, I get upset, but I made a choice the night she was made, and I wouldn't trade having her for anything." He swallowed. "There are really tough times when I'm alone with her, but I just need to remember that I'm everything to her, and I can't let her down."

Derek sighed. "That takes a lot of guts. Are you sure you don't want to talk to this guy? You know who he is and I'm sure he'd be thrilled to find out he's a father, after the paralyzing fear of being scared shitless."

He smiled slightly, shrugging.

"I know you want to do this on your own, but he could help somehow. I see how exhausted you are at work, kid, and I know you're doing everything you can to raise her right, but it's okay to ask for help." He could sense Spencer's discomfort and tried to lighten the mood. "I sent my mom those pictures you gave me, because she doesn't trust her own children to settle down and have kids. She thinks she's absolutely adorable and she's proud of you for having such a happy kid."

Spencer mock laughed. "She should come by my apartment at midnight sometime, then maybe she'll change her mind."

"I'm sure that's not the case, and I'm almost positive every new parent struggles, especially single ones."

Derek laughed to himself and Spencer raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Last set of pictures, she tried to tell me she had my skin and my pout. Ridiculous, right?"

He took a deep breath, nodding. "Absolutely ridiculous. As if you'd be the only person out there with those features." He cleared his throat. "How's your girlfriend, the neighbor?"

"We're doing great. Coming up on five months soon."

"Congratulations, by the way."

Derek smiled, patting his back. "Thanks, man."

Spencer wouldn't admit it, but the fact that Derek had a girlfriend hurt more than Derek being in a relationship. He'd started dating her a week or so after Parker had been born, which was yet another reason he decided to keep the fact that he was her father hidden. There were several nights where he had been tempted to pick up his phone and call Derek and tell him the truth, but he didn't want to get in the way of his happiness by forcing him to interact with his daughter, or even suggesting that they share custody. At one point, he seriously considered it, but the next day, Derek had come into work talking about how in love he was with this woman, _Nicole._ Just the thought of her made Spencer's stomach turn.

Rossi was halfway through teaching them how to make the perfect chicken parmesan when Parker started whining. Spencer winced, mouthing a sorry and setting down his glass of water.

"I'm sorry, this has been great, but I have to go."

Rossi looked up at him, nodding. Usually nobody was allowed to leave his cooking lessons until the meal was finished, but Spencer had a free pass.

He walked into the living room, sitting on the couch and picking her up. He felt her forehead and sighed, dreading the day ahead with a sick baby.

Garcia walked in, holding out her keys. "Go, I'll have JJ drop me off after."

"Are you sure? We could just take a bus."

She shook her head. "I insist. Get the two of you home."

He put her jacket on, zipping it up and setting her in the carrier. After bringing her things out to the car, he was able to pull Hotch aside, sighing. "I'm really sorry, I am, but I won't be in for the rest of the week. I know, I don't have any vacation time left, but I'll take it unpaid. I just, I can't leave her alone, Hotch."

This was the second time in the past month and a half that Spencer was going to miss a considerable amount of work to take care of her, but he knew he couldn't convince him otherwise, so he simply nodded. "It's no problem, Reid."

He thanked him, buckling her in and waving to everyone on his way out.

Emily sighed. "Things aren't going to get better for him, are they?"

JJ raised her eyebrows, reaching over and grabbing a cooled off piece of pasta, eating it. "Probably not."

* * *

Since that night, Spencer very rarely made it out with the team, because he didn't want to kill the mood halfway through with a crying infant. Because of that, without his knowledge, the team decided they were going to have a biweekly meet-up at his apartment. The first time they showed up, he was in the middle of baby proofing and rested Parker against his hip, tucking the screwdriver into his pocket and opening the door.

"…Hello?" he said, looking at them curiously. Looking down at Parker, he saw her waving to them.

Garcia smiled. "Well hello, littlest Reid." She took Parker from him, pushing her way inside.

"…Not that I don't appreciate everyone being here," he started, holding the door open, "…but why is everyone here?"

"Considering the last few cooking lessons didn't make it into your schedule, we decided to come to you." Rossi walked inside, setting Chinese food bags on his kitchen counter.

Spencer watched as the entire team walked in and sighed. "I was in the middle of baby proofing when you showed up. Garcia, can you keep an eye on her for a few minutes while I try and finish this up?"

"I've got it. And why are we baby proofing?"

He smiled to himself, taking the safety plugs out of the bag. "Because after I got back from picking up the supplies as a precaution, she decided she wanted to walk all on her own."

JJ gasped, looking at Parker. "You _walked_ by yourself? Good job, princess!"

Spencer went around, finishing up the baby proofing, then walked to the living room, setting Parker in his lap.

"So does she have a favorite toy you can bait her with?" Garcia asked. "I believe you that it actually happened, but I want to see for myself."

He shook his head. "She just favors her blanket from my mom when she's sleeping. She has to be in the mood to do it, though I'm sure if I put her down she'll do it."

After Parker showed off her walking abilities to her aunts and uncles, they all sat around the table in his living room, eating. Spencer took out a snack cup, pouring in some Cheerios for Parker. She picked them out, offering to feed them to Spencer.

Hotch smiled. "She seems more concerned with feeding you, and I can't blame her."

Spencer mock laughed, taking one from her and eating it. "She likes to share, at least I didn't raise a brat."

"Oh you didn't. Now that she's actually sleeping at night, I'm sure she's a lot easier," Emily said, taking one from her and thanking her.

"Definitely. You don't realize how much you miss sleep until you get your first full night's sleep in nearly a year." He kissed the top of Parker's forehead and turned to Garcia. "Can we talk?"

She raised an eyebrow. "…Sure. Your room?"

He nodded, putting up a finger to the rest of their coworkers. "We'll just be a minute." He got up, walking to his room and sitting on the bed, setting Parker on the bed and watching her carefully as she crawled around.

She closed the door, sitting at the foot of his bed. "What's up?"

He bit down on his lip, grabbing Parker around the middle and pulling her toward him. "She's starting to look more like him," he said, wiping his eyes. "And I don't know how he hasn't caught on. I'm all but waving a giant flag that says 'you're her father' in front of him. For God's sake, his _mother_ caught on."

"_What_?"

"A few months back, we were talking and he laughed at the fact that his mother said they have the same pout and skin. I mean, naturally, I denied it, but I don't see how he hasn't noticed."

She shrugged. "I don't know, sweetie. I've been dating men for nearly twenty years now, and I still don't understand them. I think even Hotch and Rossi have caught on, but they're not going to say anything when you don't want them to."

"Sometimes I think about doing it, just getting it over with and telling him, but that's completely messing up his life. He has _her_ and he's happy."

Sighing, she rubbed his arm. "You love him…"

"Not like it matters." He exhaled, dragging Parker back to him and kissing her forehead. "He's got _Nicole_," he spat out. "He has a beautiful girlfriend who he's madly in love with, and I have a weekly major depressive episode over the fact that I'm alone and I'm going to stay that way, because nobody is going to want someone with a kid and more emotional baggage than anyone else."

She leaned over, rubbing his back and kissing the top of his head. "Don't you usually have these heart-to-hearts with JJ?"

He wiped his eyes, sniffing. "We haven't exactly talked that much since she snapped at me when Parker was a few months old to tell Derek. She'll come by and see her and buy her presents, but very rarely is there an interaction with the two of us." He took a deep breath, resting his head on her shoulder. "This isn't fair. I told myself that I would raise Parker on my own and I'd be happy, and I love her, but-"

"You can't help but think about 'had I told him, would things be any different'?"

"Exactly."

* * *

Spencer wasn't surprised when Parker started showing intelligence early, with early walking, talking, and speaking. What he did know, however, was that questions were going to start soon, and he wasn't quite ready to answer them. There were many times where he contemplated just telling Derek and getting it over with, because the fact that he still hadn't noticed was ridiculous. He'd gone over to Derek's apartment on a few occasions and couldn't help but see pictures of Parker hanging up around pictures of himself as a kid, and he wondered if he was _really_ that stupid. On top of that, Derek was often preoccupied with his girlfriend, who seemed to have a dislike for Spencer, for what reason he wasn't sure.

"Daddy?" Parker asked, doodling with her crayons.

"Yeah, Princess?" he said, pouring his coffee and sitting across from her at the table.

"Where's Daddy?" she reached in the box, taking out another crayon.

"What are you talking about? I'm right here."

She shook her head. "The other one, 'cause I don't have a Mommy."

His eyes widened as there was a knock on the door. "That'll be Stephanie." He got up, clearing his throat. "I- we'll talk about this later on, okay?"

She held up her pinky and he smiled, wrapping his pinky around hers and kissing her forehead. "Be good for Stephanie when you get home from preschool, okay? I don't want to hear about you correcting her when she's reading again."

She sighed. "Fine!"

He smirked, walking over to the door and opening it. "She's already had breakfast and she's just in the kitchen finishing up some drawings. I should be home around normal time, if that changes, I'll give you a call." He put his bag over his shoulder, walking out to the kitchen and bending down, tilting Parker's chin up. "Kiss?"

She gave him a kiss and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him. "Bye, Daddy!"

"Bye, Princess." He ruffled her hair and waved to the nanny before walking out, closing the door behind him.

After making it to work, Spencer sat at his desk, immediately burying himself in his work, but not really focusing. In his head, all he could think of was how to tell Parker the truth without actually telling her the truth. It wasn't until mid-day that someone noticed his behavior. His phone started ringing and he reached over, answering his phone.

"Spencer Reid," he said, eyes wandering over his case file.

"I'd like to see you in my office, please."

"Yes, sir." He hung up and set the case file on top of his pile, sighing. "Damnit," he mumbled.

"What's wrong, is it something with Parker?" Emily asked, distracted by her work.

He shook his head, taking a deep breath. "As if Parker asking me about her father this morning wasn't enough, _now_ I'm in trouble with Hotch."

She winced. "Lunch on me today?"

"If I make it to the end of the day."

Before she could ask what he meant by that, he got up, walking to Hotch's office.

"You wanted to see me?"

He pointed to the chair in front of his desk. "Sit."

He sunk into the chair, licking his lips and biting his cheek. "Hotch, I know I didn't finish the file from the Houston case yesterday, and I'm sorry. I know I said that I'd close it, but I had to get home to Parker-"

Hotch put up his hand. "This isn't about the Houston case, Reid."

He raised an eyebrow. "Then what?"

"You've been distracted at work for a few months now, and I'm concerned about you."

"…You're concerned, or the director is?"

"Both. I need to know where your head is at."

He cleared his throat, straightening in his seat. "To tell you the truth? …I don't know." He rested his head against his hand, sighing. "I just – Parker's been curious about parents a lot lately, and today she dropped the bombshell about wanting to know who her father is and I've been thinking about how to explain this whole situation to her." He eyed Hotch. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't be letting my personal life affect my work life, but I guess I just still haven't found the right work/life balance with the single parenting thing, even after more than two years." He ran a hand over his face. "I don't have family to lean on that isn't this team and I don't have any friends I can leave her with if I want to do anything for myself, and adding in the stress of the 'where's my daddy' question, my life is _really_ complicated right now." He took a shaky breath, sighing. "And that was a _lot_ coming out that I didn't expect."

"It had to happen eventually." Hotch didn't sound angry or upset with him, but empathetic.

Spencer laughed to himself. "Yeah, it just so happened to happen while I was on the clock and on the brink of another major depressive episode."

Hotch wrung his hands, looking across his desk at the younger man. He knew his life had become stressful since becoming a parent, but it wasn't until just now he realized how stressful it really was.

Spencer pressed his palms into his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."

Instead of sitting at his desk, Hotch got up, taking the seat beside Spencer and rubbing his back. "Being a single parent isn't easy, Reid, I can say that from personal experience. But you need to stop worrying about every little thing."

He swallowed. "With all due respect, Hotch, the 'where's my daddy' game isn't a little thing. It's a big thing. I don't know how to tell my daughter that I was with somebody for a single night, he never followed up, and that was that. How do you tell your little girl, who's never done anything wrong or anything to deserve just having a single parent that she was just an accident and her father knows _nothing_ about her being his?" He wiped his eyes, sniffing and cursing himself for getting this upset. "This isn't fair."

"I wish I could tell you that life is fair, but then I'd be lying. Have you ever considered what you were going to do when this day came?"

He shook his head. "I was hoping I could hold off as long as possible on both points."

He raised an eyebrow. "_Both_?"

"I can't exactly tell my daughter who her father is and not tell him. If she gets curious one day, she'll go to him about it, and if he doesn't know? That's a _lot_ to deal with." He sniffed, exhaling. "So not only do I need to bite the bullet and tell her, but I need to tell him, and I'm not sure how that's going to go over."

Hotch patted his shoulder. "I'll be here if you need to talk."

He nodded, biting down on his lip. "I'm sorry, I'll make up my workload. I'll come in on the weekend if I have to-"

"Don't worry about it." He rubbed Spencer's back. "I've been there before, and I'm not going to let you worry about paperwork when there are bigger things that matter."

He smiled appreciatively. "Is there any way I can ask a favor right now, or is that too much?"

"Depends on what it is."

He swallowed, clearing his throat. "Could you take Parker for a few hours so I can tell him? I need to get that out of the way before I even try explaining it to her."

"Jack's been asking to see her, so I don't think that'll be a problem. I'll grab her from Stephanie and you can pick her up at my house."

"Thank you," he said softly, practically a whisper.

Hotch sighed. "Take all the time you need to calm down."

He nodded, going back into his mind and trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do.

It had taken Spencer over a half hour to calm himself down in Hotch's office, though Hotch didn't seem to mind. He still hadn't figured out how he was going to go about this whole situation, but he knew he couldn't tiptoe around it any longer. After calling Stephanie and letting her know that Hotch would pick her up after work, he went out to his desk, sitting down and opening his case file. Once again, his focus wasn't on work, and instead was on the situation at hand.

Emily clicked her tongue, looking across the desk. "Lunch? I think you could use the distraction."

He checked his watch. "…I was in Hotch's office for nearly 45 minutes, I think that counts as my break."

"Did you eat?" she asked, pulling on her jacket.

"No, I was too busy having a breakdown-"

"Then it didn't count. Come on."

He sighed, getting out of his chair and pulling on his own jacket, putting his bag over his shoulder and following her out.

"So you're telling this guy _tonight_?"

He nodded, sipping his coffee and sighing. "I don't have any other choice. I mean, Parker's going to  
know who he is, and I'd rather he find out from me than a nearly three year old."

She raised her eyebrows. "That's intense. How are you going to do it?"

"I have _absolutely_ no idea," he admitted, stirring in more sugar. "I mean, how do you tell someone, after over three years, 'oh, by the way, that time we slept together that you don't even remember? Yeah, we made a baby, you have a two and a half year old'."

"…That seems pretty straightforward."

He gave her a look. "It's not happening."

She shrugged. "I don't know, Reid, maybe this can be a turning point. Maybe he'll decide that he wants to be involved after and things can go a little easier on you."

"Sharing custody and dealing with child support doesn't exactly sound like a good time. I just, I wish there was a way I could tell him 'Hey, by the way, here's your daughter. We're fine the way we are, just thought you oughta know'."

She smiled slightly. "That one could work. I mean, yeah, you had your struggles in the beginning, but you finally have a handle on this whole parenting thing. It took you a while, but it happened, and you're both happy."

"I just don't want him to want involvement with her, as selfish as that sounds. She's mine and has been for the past three years. I don't want him to think 'she's mine, time for me to step in and be a dad'."

"I hope it works out."

"Me too."

Once they got back to the office, Spencer took a deep breath, reaching for his phone and dialing Derek's number.

"Derek Morgan."

Spencer's breath caught in his throat and he found himself incapable of forming any words.

"Hello?" he checked the caller ID. "I know it's you, Reid. What's up, kid?"

He snapped out of it, clearing his throat and sitting up in his seat. "I um," he swallowed, biting his lip, "are you going to be home tonight? I really need to talk to you."

"…Does it have to be tonight?"

He reached up, wiping his eyes and cursing himself. "Um, yeah, sorry it has to be tonight." He screwed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath. "It's something that's really important and it shouldn't have taken me this long."

"What's wrong? Is this an 'I'm craving again' call, or an 'I doubt myself as a parent' call?"

He shook his head. "It's neither, I just… please? Can we talk tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll be home after work. How's my place after 6:00?"

"That sounds fine, thank you, Really." He bit his lip. "See you then."

"See you, kid."

He hung up and Spencer exhaled, burying his head in his hands and groaning loudly.

Emily walked past him, patting his back. "I'm sure we'd all be frustrated calling someone up after over three years."

Garcia raised an eyebrow. "…Who are we calling after three years?"

He ran a hand over his face, sighing. "I'm telling Parker's father he is, in fact, Parker's father tonight."

She leaned against his desk. "Are you sure about this?"

"I don't have another choice. She's started asking and I can't dodge the question anymore. It's better that he finds out from me than a curious little girl who wants to know more about him."

"But she knows him," she snapped, her voice low. She sighed, taking his hand and dragging him to her lair, closing the door. "_What_ is going on?"

"Parker asked me again who her father is, and I can't keep avoiding the question, so I promised her she'd find out. Problem is, he doesn't know, and I want him to hear it from me so she doesn't call him up one day and say 'Uncle Derek, why are you my dad but you're never around?'"

"But – her not knowing is working so well! You two are happy!"

"Believe me, I know, but she's a curious kid. I think it has something to do with preschool, because they were talking about their families and she might've been upset that she _just_ has one dad. I don't know, but whatever it may be, I'm done keeping secrets from her."

"Is it all set up?"

He nodded, chewing on his cheek. "I called Derek and we're going to meet at his place tonight. Hopefully sans Nikita-"

"Nicole," she corrected.

He rolled his eyes. "Sans _her_, so the two of us can have an honest conversation."

She frowned, leaning against her desk. "…You still love him."

He fidgeted with his fingers, sighing. "We all love our firsts, don't we?" He eyed her before looking back at his lap. "And every time I see her with him, every time he talks about her, I just want to remind him of what he did and what he said to me that night, but I don't have it in me."

"Because you're a better person than that, as much as it sucks." She rubbed his shoulders. "My phone is going to be on all night if you need to talk about this."

He patted her hands. "I appreciate it."

* * *

Spencer stood outside of Derek's apartment, pacing. He'd said after 6:00, and it had just turned 6:00, so he didn't want to go too early and have Derek upset with him before the conversation even started. Leaning against the wall, he took a deep breath, attempting to collect himself. He couldn't go in there upset, because then Derek would focus his attention on calming him down and nothing would get accomplished. Instead, he needed to calm down and just get this over with, no matter how mad Derek would be at him for keeping it from him for this long. He was about to knock when the door opened and he stepped back, waiting.

Nicole stepped out of Derek's apartment, and Spencer could swear that as soon as she saw him, she wrapped her arms around Derek's neck, pulling him in for a kiss. She pulled back, kissing his cheek and smiling. "Have fun tonight, I'll be back in the morning."

He smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "I'll see you then, beautiful."

Were he not in front of them right now, he'd definitely be making gagging noises at how cheesy the whole thing sounded.

"Spencer," he leaned back into his apartment, checking the clock, "right on time." He held the door open and Spencer stepped inside. He immediately noticed that the pictures of Parker were down off of the shelves and were replaced by what he would call some of the tackiest art on the planet.

"I um, I see you've redecorated," he said, pointing to the wall where her 1st birthday picture had been hanging.

"Yeah, Nicole's really big into art right now and wanted to hang some of her pieces at my place. Can I get you a drink?"

"Water, please." While Derek was in the kitchen, he noted that every single picture of Parker he'd given to Derek was taken down. He rolled his eyes, wondering if Derek had even the slightest bit of spine to tell her that he'd wanted to keep those up, unless of course, he preferred her ugly art.

Derek walked in, handing him a water bottle and sitting beside. "You needed to talk?"

He pointed to the walls. "…Where's Parker?"

"She's with Hotch tonight, isn't she?" He took a sip of his beer and saw where Spencer was pointing. "Oh, you mean – yeah, Nicole thought it was weird that I just had random pictures of my coworker's kid hanging up on my walls, and after a while, I saw how weird it really was. I mean, it's not like I'm her godfather or anything prominent in her life, so I didn't see the purpose. Instead, she's in a drawer in my desk."

Spencer scoffed, opening his water bottle and taking a sip. A _drawer_? His daughter had been downgraded from being on his walls to only existing in a drawer with his half-used pens and some index cards. The mere thought of it made his blood want to boil, especially considering it was because of something _Nicole_ had suggested.

He set the bottle down, twisting on the cap. "So you and Nicole, almost three years now?"

He nodded. "She was one of the secretaries at the hospital when you were in there with Parker, so I guess I have you to thank. I'd walk past her desk on the way to your room, and one day I went back to talk to her… the rest is history."

Oh, great. So not only did he have to watch the man he loved be in love with someone else, but it was entirely his fault. "Are you going to marry her?"

He smiled, leaning back on the couch. "I don't know. Probably. She's really patient with my hours and she loves my coworkers," _except of course me_, "not to mention that we have a lot in common." _Yeah, because you're an enthusiast for tacky art and hate people's children._ "Now, come on, did you really want to come over here and talk about my girlfriend?"

_No, right about now, I'd rather put her through a window._ Spencer bit his tongue, taking a deep breath and sighing.

"Kid, what is it?"

Spencer closed his eyes, unable to face Derek. "I need to tell you something."

"…Okay?"

He reached up, wiping his eyes. "Your mom was right."

"My mom's right about a lot of things. Do you mind clarifying?" he asked, moving closer to him. "What's wrong, kid? You can tell me."

He sniffed, daring to open his eyes and look at Derek. "Three and a half years ago, we were both very intoxicated after the case in Tennessee. We did a lot of ridiculous things, and I know you said you don't remember them, but I need you to try. Just, please, close your eyes for me."

Derek looked at him, confused, but obeyed.

"It was a really bad case for me, and I chose alcohol as my way to unwind. We both know that was a horrible choice on my part, but you looked after me. You wanted me to be okay, you wanted to take care of me."

Derek nodded his agreement, unsure of where this was headed.

Spencer exhaled. "I did karaoke, very poorly from what I hear, and then I jumped in the pool. You pulled me out so I didn't drown, and you took care of me. Things happened from that point, Derek, do you know where I'm going?"

He shook his head and Spencer sighed, willing himself to go on.

"We shared a hotel room that night. We were both intoxicated and caught up in the moment, I propositioned you, and you didn't turn me down. That night, the two of us were together, intimately. You were the first person I ever gave myself to, and you were the last. Now do you understand?"

When Derek shook his head again, he groaned.

"I've only ever been with one person, Derek. And I have a daughter who's going to be 3 in July." He took a shaky breath. "Now look at me."

Confused, Derek opened his eyes, looking directly at Spencer.

"I've slept with one person in my lifetime, Derek. One. And I have a daughter, who means everything to me, because of it. I need you to understand me here. Please." He reached over, taking Derek's hand and squeezing it. "Please tell me you see what I'm trying to tell you."

Spencer saw the change in Derek in a matter of seconds: his face went from confusion to understanding to anger to even more confusion. He bit down on his lip, bracing himself for what was going to happen next.

Derek shot up off of the couch, running a hand over his head. "You mean to tell me that after three years, _three years_, of me threatening this guy and saying he was a piece of shit for not wanting any involvement with his daughter, after I offered to find him for you and make him be a father to your daughter, you didn't bother to tell me that I was standing right in front of you? What the hell, Reid?"

"I'm sorry," he instantly said. "I understand if you're upset-"

"Upset? You're damn right I'm upset. I thought I could trust you, man. I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other, especially something that was _this_ important. This was the other half of your daughter and you didn't think to enlighten me even _once_?"

"I need you to see my side here, Derek. This wasn't just about you. Yes, you're her father, and thank you, thank you _so_ much for giving her to me, because she is the _best_ thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life and she makes every feeling of awfulness I've ever had just _go away_ every single time she looks at me. But this was my life too. I found out I was pregnant and my world flipped upside down. All of a sudden I was pregnant after being with somebody for a single night. _One_ night changed my life forever, and I wasn't going to let that happen to you. You quite obviously didn't remember that night with me, and obviously being my first time it was very forgettable for you, and I'm sorry for that because it meant a lot to me, but I wasn't going to tie you down or hold you responsible for something that happened when we were both drunk. I didn't think it'd be fair for either of us."

"So you didn't even give me the option to be involved or not? You just decided that I didn't need to know my daughter, is that it? Because it was for my own good?"

He stood up, looking him in the eyes. "As if you care! You said it yourself, she's just a few pictures in a drawer to you! You didn't think you were anything special to her, so you just tossed her aside, but she's your _daughter_, Derek. In nearly three years looking at her pictures, you never once saw the resemblance between you two, and what was I supposed to do, hold your hand until you finally found out? Obviously your girlfriend already knows because she's been nothing but a condescending bitch to me since she came into the picture. _That_ is why she's worth a drawer to her, and you just went along with it."

"Don't you _dare_ bring her into this," Derek snapped. "This has _nothing_ to do with her and _everything_ to do with you lying to me over the past three years."

"When did I lie?" he said, surprised that he was keeping his composure this long. "You never asked me, 'Hey, Spencer, that daughter of yours who has my skin tone and my mouth and my ears… is she mine?' because the thought never once crossed your mind." He bit his lip, swallowing. "I hoped and I prayed the entire time that I was pregnant that the first time you held her in your arms, you'd look down at her and see it and we would've somehow been a family, but it never happened." He sniffed, willing the tears in his eyes not to fall. "You never once looked at a picture or saw her face and thought of her as anything more than _just_ my daughter from a one night stand I had. She was never more than something you could pity me for."

"So it was okay with you to not tell me in all this time because I didn't catch onto it? You said it was a one night stand, I believed you. You never said anything to indicate that I could've been her father, so why would I have thought that you weren't telling the truth?"

He wiped his eyes, cursing myself. "I thought about it a lot more than you'd think. Every single night when she wouldn't stop crying, I contemplated picking up that phone and calling you and coming clean about everything, but I didn't, because I didn't want to ruin what you had with your girlfriend. I am so incredibly sorry, Derek, I am, but at the same time, I'm not, because I got the past two and a half years with her. I've learned that priorities change and that my job isn't everything anymore. I'm not on cases but I spend my nights coloring in coloring books and watching Disney movies and watching her play dress-up and it's all okay because I know that all comes from me doing a good job raising her on my own."

Derek set his jaw, exhaling. "Then maybe you should keep doing it that way."

He tried not to react to what Derek had said, and instead wiped his eyes. "Do you know why I'm telling you this tonight, Derek?"

"Enlighten me."

He cleared his throat. "At Parker's preschool, they're always talking about their families. She has a lot of friends and she's surprisingly social, a trait I'm sure she got from you, and most of them have two parents. She hears them talking about doing things with their parents and she's scared that she's an outcast because she just has a Daddy. She wants to know who her father is so she can have some of those memories and brag to her friends about them. I can't deny her that anymore, and it's something that she wants. I'm doing this for her. It's not at all for me, I swear."

"What, so I'm supposed to take this news, be okay with you lying to me for three years, and just suddenly show up in the picture like I've been there all along?"

He shook his head, crossing his arms. "You're supposed to take it how you choose to take it, and if you want involvement in Parker's life, I can't stop you," he said the last part as practically a whisper, not wanting to admit it to himself.

He sighed. "Spencer, this is a _lot_ of information to take in."

"I know, and I'm really sorry it all got dumped in your lap, but she has a right to know, and I couldn't tell her without telling you first." He wiped his eyes, sighing and daring to look up at him. "She's looking more and more like you every day, and god, does she have your smart mouth. Sometimes she'll respond to something I say, and I instantly think of you."

This seemed to melt away some of Derek's anger and he sighed. "Anything else?"

He stepped closer, biting his lip. "She really enjoys dressing like Garcia these days. I let her dress herself one morning, and she walked out looking just like Garcia, fake glasses and all. It's stuck since then."

He laughed to himself, looking down at his feet.

Spencer took a deep breath, lifting Derek's chin and looking him in the eyes. "I really am sorry, Derek. I need you to understand that. I did this because I thought it was the right decision, not because I wanted to hurt you. I essentially raised myself, so I didn't have anybody to base my parenting skills or decisions on, and I truly thought that what I did was right."

Derek sighed, nodding slightly.

Spencer sighed, bracing himself for what was probably his stupidest decision of the night. He leaned in, placing a soft kiss on Derek's lips. When Derek didn't immediately pull away from him, he was relieved, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling him closer.

"…What the hell is going on here?"

Spencer pulled back, looking up at Derek, whose eyes had gone wide.

"Hey, baby," he said, still facing Spencer.

"So _this_ is boys' night?" she asked, arms crossed. "I'd hate to see what would've happened if I came ten minutes later for my makeup bag."

Spencer winced. "I should get going."

"Yes, you probably should," she snapped, eyeing him, "your bastard's probably looking for you."

He winced at the insult but showed her no reaction.

"And get a paternity test on that _thing_," she spat out.

Spencer looked at Derek, hoping for a reaction: something, he'd really take anything at this point. When Derek just looked at him with sad eyes, he sighed, screwing his eyes shut and walking out, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

He ended up sitting in the front seat of his car, his head rested against the steering wheel and crying. He did what he'd wanted to do: he'd told Derek the truth, but not without a huge blowout. Not to mention he made the world's stupidest decision after doing so. Derek hadn't pulled back or resisted, but that was still no reason to kiss someone in a committed relationship. For a genius, he was an absolute _idiot_. Not trusting his voice at the time, he took out his phone, texting Hotch.

_I'm sorry I'm running late. I'll be there to get Parker in twenty minutes._

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. He couldn't stay focused on the mess that was tonight. Instead, he needed to pick up his daughter and hopefully clear up everything with her, as much as he could anyway. Buckling his seatbelt, he started the car and took a deep breath, pulling out of the parking spot.

Pulling up to Hotch's apartment building, he sighed, parking and getting out of the car. Rather than taking the elevator, he opted to take the stairs, giving himself more time to think about what had happened. In a matter of a half hour, he'd dropped the bomb, got into a huge heated argument, calmed Derek down, and ended it with his girlfriend essentially calling him a whore with a bastard child. What hurt the most was the fact that Derek didn't even react to it and just let her insult him. After everything he'd told him and everything he'd clarified, he couldn't believe that Derek didn't say a single word to defend him, even after she insulted his daughter. She could insult Spencer until her heart was content and he wouldn't give a damn, but she crossed the line when she'd brought Parker into it, and she was extremely lucky Spencer had to pick her up, or he'd probably be in handcuffs right now for giving her exactly what she deserved.

He walked up to Hotch's apartment, sighing and knocking on the door, leaning against the doorframe. When Jack answered, he faked a smile.

"Hey, Jack. Did you have fun?"

He nodded. "We played and Daddy even let us paint. She fell asleep, so she's in Daddy's room."

He checked his watch and saw that it was past her bedtime. "Well, thank you for being such an awesome cousin and playing with her."

Jack held the door open for him and he stepped inside. As soon as he locked eyes with Hotch, he bit the inside of his cheek, shaking his head.

"Jack, why don't you go pack up Parker's things while I talk to Spencer?"

He grabbed Parker's backpack, walking to Hotch's room and closing the door. No sooner had Spencer leaned in to Hotch, burying his head in his shoulder and crying.

He led Spencer over to the couch, sitting him down and rubbing his back. "I take it tonight didn't go over too well?"

He shook his head. "H-his gi-girlfriend called her a b-bastard, and told me to get a p-paternity test."

Hotch wrapped his arm around the younger man, unsure of the best way to comfort him. "What did he say?"

He tried catching his breath. "He was mad, and he yelled, and he worked through his anger, but I told him if he wants to be involved, he can." He sniffed, running a hand through his hair. "And I'm a complete idiot."

"I doubt that."

He scoffed. "I don't. I unloaded all of that baggage on him, he coped with it, and I thought 'hey, maybe now would be a good time to kiss him'." He shook his head at his own stupidity. "And now I get to tell Parker 'he's your daddy and he knows, but he's not going to be in the picture because his girlfriend replaced every picture of you in his apartment with what she calls 'art' but what I call glorified finger paintings'."

Hotch raised an eyebrow. "He has pictures of her?"

He squeezed his eyes shut. "_Damnit_. I'm all kinds of fucking up tonight." He sat up, wiping his eyes. "He has pictures of her because," he took a deep breath, "everyone on the team has pictures, and Derek's her father."

"…At least on the bright side, she's asleep so you don't need to tell her until tomorrow?"

"Very dim, but a bright side nonetheless." He stood up, sighing. "I'll be in late tomorrow because Parker has a doctor's appointment, but I'll be in, and I'll actually get my paperwork done this time, I promise."

"Don't worry about it. Get her home and I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded. "Thank you again, for watching her. I really couldn't have done it with her there, and I especially couldn't have her exposed to knowing what a 'bastard' or 'paternity test' are."

"I'll be here anytime you need me."

He smiled appreciatively, walking into Hotch's room and wrapping Parker in her blanket, picking her up and kissing her forehead. He took the bag from Jack, thanking him, before going down to the car and buckling Parker into her carseat, setting her bag on the floor.

After getting home, he tucked Parker in and turned on her nightlight, walking out and closing the door behind him. Considering the emotionally trying day he had, he couldn't wait to just lay down and pretend that this whole thing had never happened. Once he was changed into his pajamas, he took out his phone, sighing to himself and calling Garcia, knowing that if he didn't tell her now, she'd expect an update in the morning.

"Hey, Boy Wonder," she chirped.

He smiled slightly. "Hi."

"So, how did the big reveal go?"

"I don't know, are we talking about before or after his girlfriend walked in and referred to my daughter as a bastard child and demanded I get a paternity test?"

She gasped. "Oh no she did _not_."

"Believe me, she did. And your buddy Derek? He said absolutely _nothing_ to her."

"No way."

He nodded, retelling everything that had happened just two hours prior.

"Wait, you _kissed_?"

He winced. "I admit, it wasn't my best decision, but we were talking and the moment felt right and I forgot about her. Then of course she walked in and basically called me a whore _so-_"

"Wait, rewind."

"…To what, being called a whore?"

"The kiss!"

He rolled his eyes. "The moment was ruined when Derek did nothing to defend me or his daughter. I mean, I get it, he just found out and he was still in shock, but that woman, that _bitch_, insulted his daughter. My blood was boiling at that point and I wanted him to say _something_ but he just gave me a look and gave her a hug."

She winced. "If you want, I can talk to him in the morning, maybe-"

"I've already done more than enough damage. Thank you, though."

She sighed. "Tomorrow, my lair, baked goods."

"Extremely tempting."

"Get some sleep, we'll talk in the morning."

"Thanks, Garcia." He hung up, plugging his phone in and burying his head in his pillow, groaning. He'd played out the scenario of what he'd wanted to happen in his head several times, and tonight _definitely_ wasn't it.

The following morning, Spencer took Parker to her doctor's appointment then drove her to preschool. Before getting out of the car, she looked up at him. "Daddy?"

He unbuckled her. "Yes, Princess?"

"Can we talk about my daddy?"

He sighed, picking her up and setting her down on the sidewalk, reaching into the backseat and grabbing her backpack and lunchbox. "I promise, when Daddy gets home from work, you can ask me anything you want about your dad. Deal?"

She nodded, reaching up and wrapping her pinky around his. "Deal."

He smiled, kissing her forehead and taking her hand, walking her inside. He gave her a kiss goodbye and took his keys out of his pocket, walking outside and getting into his car, starting it. Part of him wished that she'd forgotten about wanting to find out, but then he remembered that she's a smart kid and was going to find out what she wanted to find out.

* * *

At work, he did his best to stay out of Derek's way, which didn't seem too hard, considering he just stayed in his office the entire time. He thought about going in and talking to him, but figured it would do more harm than good. He had a few cups of coffee trying to calm his nerves, though it was pointless, as he was still extremely nervous. He looked over at JJ's desk and bit his cheek. The two of them hadn't been close in a couple of years, since she'd tried convincing him to tell Derek. Now that he'd done it, he wondered if the two of them could be close again. When she got up to refill her coffee, he sighed, following her.

She looked at him, eyebrow raised. "…Hi."

He bit down on his lip, looking at his feet. "Parker's been asking about her father lately, much more often than I'd like, so I told her that I'm going to tell her anything she wants to know tonight."

She set down her coffee mug. "_What_?"

He nodded, swallowing. "And, because of that, I told Derek last night."

She sighed, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. "…Are you okay?"

Sniffing, he shook his head, resting his head on her shoulder. "I told myself I wasn't going to let this get to me, but I told him everything, JJ. I reminded him of what happened and I said everything I've wanted to for the past three years." He took a deep breath. "And it went well until I kissed him and his girlfriend referred to me as a whore."

She gasped, pulling back. "She did not."

"Demanded I get a paternity test on Parker."

"…What did he say about this?"

He wiped his eyes. "Absolutely nothing. He just gave me a look, so I left and cried in my car for an hour." Reaching up, he ran his hand through his hair. "And considering he's yet to talk to me? Either he's still processing the information or he hates me."

"I'm so sorry." She rubbed his arm, sighing. "I'm here, you know that, right? I know we've had our disagreements, but I'm here if you need me, I promise."

"Thank you," he said softly, chewing on his cheek. "I'm just worried about what's going to happen."

"What do you mean?"

"When I tell her he's her father, I don't know how she's going to react, if she's going to want him in her life, if she wants to keep things like they are, if he even wants any form of involvement. I went to his apartment and all of the pictures I'd given him were down, replaced by some of his girlfriend's 'art'. The pictures didn't matter to him, so with the news, why would she?"

"He could surprise you," she reasoned, "I mean, he could want no involvement, but at the same time, he could see this as an opportunity, especially if he's talked to his mother since then. She'd be thrilled by the news, I'm sure."

He exhaled. "Only one way to find out."

Spencer buried himself in his work as much as he could, and when 5:00 came around, he couldn't believe the day had gone by so fast. He pulled on his jacket, buttoning it.

"Nervous?" Emily asked.

"You have _no_ idea," he mumbled, picking up his bag and putting it over his shoulder. He dug his car keys out of his pocket. "Tonight is the big reveal."

"…Good luck."

He smiled appreciatively, twirling the keys around his finger and walking out to the elevators. He pressed the down button and leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath and sighing. Looking up, he saw Derek walking down the hallway, then leaning against the wall opposite him. He bit his lip, willing the elevator to show up faster.

"…Are you telling her?"

"I'm letting her ask anything, and if it comes to it, yes, I'm telling her." He bit the inside of his cheek, stepping into the elevator, soon joined by Derek. "…If you want the test, I understand. It's a bit of a hit to me, I'll admit, but if it's something you need me to do, I will." He dug his hands into his pockets, avoiding eye contact.

Derek sighed, pressing the button for the ground floor. "I really don't know what I want right now," he admitted. "Yesterday, I had a girl I was going to pop the question to, we were going to eventually get married and think about having kids. Today, I have a daughter I've never spent time with and a hell of a lot of emotions running through my head."

He leaned against the railing, sighing. "Again, I'm really sorry. I just couldn't have her know and have you completely clueless about the situation." He looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "I promise, I'm not expecting anything from you. You can be involved or you can choose to keep your distance. I won't talk negatively about you to Parker, and I'll let her know it was my idea."

"Thanks, kid." The elevator stopped and Derek was the first to step out, Spencer close behind him. "You know, I looked at one of the pictures last night," he started, "and she really does look like a little Morgan."

Spencer smiled to himself. "She does. I'm sure your mother would love to hear the news, though I'm not sure she'll be too happy with me."

Derek exhaled, turning to face him. "I'm going to talk to her tonight. I'll be in touch, okay?"

He knew it was better than nothing, so he sighed, nodding. "Okay."

* * *

After feeding Parker and giving her a bath, the two of them were sitting on Spencer's bed, their legs tucked underneath themselves. Spencer smiled to himself, seeing her mimicking him. He leaned over, tucking her hair behind her ear and kissing her forehead.

"Daddy really loves you, Princess. You know that, right?"

She nodded, fixing her hair. "I know that, 'cause you made me and raised me yourself."

"That I did." He licked his lips, swallowing. "Is there anything you want to know about your dad, Parker? I'll tell you anything you want to know about him, I promise. No more secrets."

She put a finger to her chin, tapping it and thinking. He had never been more nervous for anything in his entire life than he was in this moment. "Daddy?"

"Yeah, Princess?"

"…Who is he?"

He took a deep breath, exhaling. "I see your dad in you a lot, especially now that you're growing up on me, without my permission. You have his ears, you have his skin, and his mouth, not to mention you get your sass from him." He laughed to himself when she instantly pouted at that answer and bit down on his lip. "I guess there's no way to say this that makes it any easier on Daddy, so I think I just need to say it. Your Dad is Uncle Derek."

"He know?"

"As of this time yesterday, yes." He pulled her into his lap, kissing the top of her head. "Uncle Derek took care of Daddy, and the next thing Daddy knew, he was pregnant with you." He ran his fingers through her hair. "And I love you more than anything. I didn't want Uncle Derek to feel like he had to be with Daddy because of you, even though he _definitely_ would've been happy, because you're the perfect little girl."

"I'm awesome."

He laughed softly. "Yes, you are. And I'd like to think in the past three years, well close to it, I've done a really good job taking care of you."

"You did."

"Is there anything else you want to ask Daddy?"

She looked up at him. "Does Uncle Derek love me?"

He exhaled. "He does. I don't know to what extent, because I just told him yesterday, but Uncle Derek does love you, because you're Daddy's."

She reached down, playing with his fingers. "Is he going to be here?"

"I… don't know," he admitted, "that's his decision to make, and if he doesn't want to, it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Daddy, I promise."

She nodded, looking up at him. "Daddy?"

"What is it, Princess?"

She turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him.

He smiled slightly. "What's this for?"

"For being as good as two daddies."

He rubbed her back. "Thank you, Parker. That really does mean a lot."

The two of them stayed up in Spencer's room talking until Parker started getting tired. When she did, he picked her up, kissing her forehead and walking to her room, tucking her in. He read her a bedtime story, and when she dozed off, he put the book on her nightstand and handed her the baby blanket.

"I love you, Princess," he whispered, rubbing her arm.

"Love you, Daddy," she said, yawning and curling up.

Once he saw her fall asleep, he turned on her nightlight and walked out of the room, going to his own and sitting on the bed, exhaling. The past two days had been emotionally trying, but at least they were out of the way.

His phone started ringing and he reached over, answering it.

"Hello?"

"So how did it go?"

He raised an eyebrow, sitting up and leaning against the headboard. "Fine, actually. She was really good about it. I told her who her father was, she accepted it, she asked if he was going to be around, and I told her that was his decision, but no matter what he chooses, it has nothing to do with her."

"…I'm impressed. Considering how well last night went, I wasn't expecting it to happen."

"That makes two of us." I half expected myself to choke up and not be able to tell her anything, then be on the receiving end of a Parker Reid hissy fit."

Hotch laughed. "And nobody wants one of those."

"Definitely not."

"Just so you know? This call wasn't just on my behalf."

"…Excuse me?"

"Everyone was a little bit worried about you. Dave actually wanted me to be sure you were okay, and you know Dave, he's not good at showing his emotions so he shows he cares in other ways."

"Indeed." He crossed his arms. "Well, tell him I appreciated it. He didn't know-"

"All he knew was what he heard around the office: that you were telling Parker about her father tonight. He actually suggested slipping a bottle of scotch into your car, but something tells me liquid courage wouldn't have helped with the explanation."

He smirked. "I appreciate it. Naturally, she's curious about Derek and his involvement from this point forward, but seeing as I just dropped that bomb yesterday? I'm not sure he's ready to set anything in stone. Not yet, anyway. He said he's going to talk to his mother about this situation – his mother who, by the way, caught on to Parker being her son's daughter two years ago."

"Well, good luck. I'll let you go so you can either get some sleep, or get phone calls from the rest of the team wondering how everything went."

He smiled. "Thank you." He hung up, leaning against his pillows and exhaling.

Meanwhile, Derek held his phone in his hand, trying to give himself the willpower to call his mother. He finally sucked it up, taking a deep breath and calling her, resting the phone against his ear.

"…Derek? Is something wrong?"

He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "No, Momma. Sorry for worrying you, I just… I really need to talk about something."

"Was it another fight with Nicole?"

He exhaled, leaning back on the couch. Yes, but it was so much more than that. They had a huge blowout after Spencer's big reveal and her walking in on the two of them kissing. Derek had flipped out on her for calling his daughter a bastard and insisting that Spencer was lying about him being the father. It hurt that Spencer kept the secret, but he knew that Spencer Reid wasn't a liar, and he definitely wouldn't lie about something involving his daughter.

"Derek?"

He chewed on his cheek. "Nicole's gone, Mom. We're not recovering from this one. I really can't forgive her."

"What happened? Did she cheat? She didn't seem the type-"

"No, she didn't cheat." He ran a hand over his scalp, wondering how exactly he was going to explain this. "But I found something out, we argued about it, and that's that."

"What could've possibly come between you two after two and a half years?"

"…My daughter?"

"Derek, is she pregnant?"

His eyes widened. "No, no, she's not – definitely not, Mom. I don't – she's not Nicole's."

"Then can you explain yourself, because I have to say, I'm a little lost."

He swallowed, taking a deep breath and sighing. "Parker. She – Spencer told me last night. She's been asking him about who her father is, and he didn't want to tell her without me knowing the truth. He kept it a secret for two and a half years, never even hinted at it, and he's got guts, because it definitely wasn't easy on him."

She paused. "…So I guess we can call that little cutie ours?"

He laughed softly. "I guess so. I haven't – I don't know how to handle the situation. I mean, yesterday he came over to talk and dropped the bombshell and I was mad, and confused, and scared, but then, I don't know, it felt kind of right. Nicole walked in on him kissing me in the heat of the moment and she called Parker a bastard child, wanted Spencer to prove she was mine, and after he left, all she did was talk about how she couldn't possibly be mine and I just lost it. I tolerate a lot of things, and I may have only known it for a few minutes, but I wasn't going to let anyone badmouth my little girl. It all finally clicked in my head that she was mine and, mom, she's looking like me and acting like me." He smiled. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I could really use some of your advice now."

She exhaled. "Wow, Derek. All of that in the past 24 hours?"

"Tell me about it."

"First and foremost, you have a decision to make. Spencer can't make it for you, and neither can I. You need to decide what you want to do. If you want to see her, which I really hope you do, because I'd really love the opportunity to get to know my granddaughter. Then there's the question of if you want a relationship with Spencer, or if you just want to share custody. And if you do want some form of custody, you need to figure out what you want, and talk to Spencer about it before you file for anything, because the last thing you want to do is upset him. I understand, you're stressed about this situation, but he's the one that's been there for her since day one. And let me just say, consider yourself lucky for evading diapers, non-sleeping nights, _and_ the terrible twos."

He smiled to himself. "I guess so. I'll keep you updated on this-"

"As if you have a choice in the matter."

"I guess you're right." He ran a hand over his scalp, sighing. "I'll let you know what I decide when I decide it. And before you ask, yes, I _can_ provide you with pictures as soon as possible."

"All I ask. Good luck."

"Thanks, Mom." He ended the call, leaning back on his couch and exhaling. After the past 24 hours, he really wanted a stiff drink, but knew what he needed was to make a decision, and soon.

* * *

Spencer hadn't heard from Derek in a few days, but figured it was best to give him his space. His weekend was committed to spending as much time as he could with Parker, because he didn't get nearly enough time with her after work. The two of them were in the living room, sitting on the floor and playing with different puzzles, Spencer helping her only when she asked. He smiled, watching her figure them out all on her own and clapping, proud of herself.

"Now, is there a reason you wanted to wear the princess dress from Aunt JJ today?" he asked, opening up another puzzle and setting it on the floor.

She nodded. "I'm a princess!"

He leaned over, kissing her forehead. "Yes you are, your majesty. Can I help you with this one?"

She climbed into his lap, setting the puzzle in her lap and looking up at him. "Yes, please!"

He watched as Parker put together most of the pieces and he added the last one. "Like that?"

"Uh huh, perfect!"

As the day went on, the two of them did a bunch of activities, including arts and crafts and memory games. She kept choosing what they were going to do, and Spencer wasn't going to deny her, considering this was a day strictly devoted to the two of them. She finally decided that the two of them should watch a movie and grabbed one, holding it up to Spencer. While the movie was loading, he grabbed them some juice boxes and snacks, putting them on the living room table and sitting next to her on the couch, kissing the top of her head.

"Daddy?"

He looked over as he reached for the remote. "Yes, Princess?"

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Any time." He pressed the button to play the movie and wrapped an arm around her.

There was a knock on the door and Spencer raised an eyebrow, turning to Parker. "Are you expecting company?"

She shook her head. "Nuh uh."

"Me either." He got up, checking the peephole. "…Parker, can you be a good girl while Daddy's right outside the door?"

"I promise!"

He opened the door and slipped outside, looking up at Derek. "What are you doing here?"

Derek reached over, taking a clip out of Spencer's hair. "Apparently missing a very fun game."

Peeking inside the apartment, he saw Parker still distracted by the movie. Then he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "What is this?"

"Excuse me?"

He swallowed. "Is this a visit from Uncle Derek, or her father? Because I really need to know what I'm preparing her for _before_ I get into it."

"Nicole's gone," Derek spoke up. "I kicked her out after she badmouthed Parker. I should've said something, but I didn't, and I'm sorry. I wasn't going to settle for someone saying anything negative about my daughter."

Spencer looked at him wide-eyed. "Derek, you said you were going to marry this girl. I don't want to ruin a good relationship -"

"You didn't. _She_ did. I don't need a paternity test or proof or anything, Spencer." He pointed toward his apartment. "Because that's my daughter in there. You said it yourself, she's becoming more and more like me every day, and I think I deserve to be a part of that."

Spencer bit down on his lip, swallowing. "What's happening here, Derek?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "I just know that I have two and a half years of parenting to make up for, and I'm asking for the chance to do that. I don't know what this is," he said, motioning between the two of them, "or if this is even something, and I have no idea what I'm doing here, but I need the chance to figure it out."

"…Don't you _dare_ hurt her," he warned.

"I promise."

Spencer took a deep breath, poking his head into the apartment. "Parker?"

"Yeah, Daddy?"

He looked toward Derek. "There's somebody here to see you, should I let him in?"

"Yes, please!"

Spencer exhaled, taking Derek's hand and walking inside, closing the door behind him. He saw her eyes still on the TV and reached for the remote, pausing the movie. "…Parker, your dad's here to see you."

Derek sighed, walking over and squatting in front of Parker. "Hey there, Princess. Aren't we looking royal today?"

She smiled, blushing. "'Cause I _am_ a princess."

"That you are." He turned to Spencer. "What do I talk about?"

"She loves conversation, there's nothing you can go wrong with."

He sat in front of her. "How about we have a do-over?"

"What's that?"

He shrugged. "Me and you, we start over, like the beginning of a new story. You like stories, right?"

She nodded. "Uh huh, I get one every night."

He took a deep breath, holding out his hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Parker. I'm your dad."

She looked down at his hand, hitting it away.

"Parker!" Spencer snapped.

"Daddies don't handshake," she pointed out, wrapping her arms around Derek's neck. "Hi, Papa, I'm Parker."

He smiled. "That's definitely the Morgan sass." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. "What are we doing today?"

"Movies and coloring." She turned to Spencer. "Can Papa stay?"

"That's completely up to him, as is him wanting to be called Papa."

Derek smirked. "Papa is more than okay with me." He took the seat beside Parker, pulling her into his lap and bending down, kissing her cheek.

Spencer wiped his eyes, sniffing and exhaling. This was more than he'd ever expected. He definitely didn't think Derek would show up at his house and automatically be ready to go into father mode. He grabbed the phone out of Derek's pocket and took a picture of the two of them, committing it to memory. It was the first time Derek _really_ spent time with his daughter, and it definitely wouldn't be the last.

Derek took the phone from Spencer, sending the picture to his mother and handing it back to him. "…She'll be calling you in a few minutes."

Parker put her finger to Derek's lips. "Shh, movie."

Spencer smiled, taking the phone and sending the picture around to the team. He had talked to Derek's mother, and she made him promise that the three of them would come out to Chicago soon to give her a proper introduction to her granddaughter. Not only that, but she immediately welcomed him into the Morgan family, despite the fact that he and Derek had only been at this for a few minutes. There wasn't any shared custody or any other issues, and instead, Derek had offered to move in with them to get as much time with Parker as he could, which Spencer didn't object to. From what he'd seen, Derek easily fell into the role of Parker's 'Papa', and she was now his world. It took much longer than he'd wanted, but Spencer finally gave Parker what he'd wanted for her all along: a family.


End file.
